Business

FCC approves T-Mobile to clean up on spectrum

T-Mobile’s colorful CEO John Legere on Thursday got a big boost from Washington.

The Federal Communications Commission essentially invited the country’s No. 4 wireless provider to be the lone bidder for some valuable spectrum it will soon be buying from television broadcasters, sources said.

In a 3-to-2 ruling, the FCC said bidders for much of the roughly $20 billion in spectrum coming up for sale cannot have as much spectrum as Verizon or AT&T presently have in most markets, including New York City.

The regulator also defined the parameters of what constitutes currently owned spectrum in such a way as to prevent Sprint, the No. 3 carrier, from participating in some of the auctions, sources said.

“It is a free play for T-Mobile,” the source said.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has made it clear he wants four strong national wireless carriers.

In the year ending Dec. 31, T-Mobile had negative $480 million in cash flow.

The FCC’s decision is another signal it would likely not allow Sprint to buy T-Mobile, and would rather bolster T-Mobile, the source said.

Former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth told The Post he believed the wireless carriers have been on a buying spree lately because they correctly predicted they would not be able to buy much spectrum through these auctions.

Between now and 2018, data usage per wireless subscriber is expected to increase 400 percent, making more spectrum purchases important.

The FCC declined comment.