According to a Thursday-released report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the consolidation of wireless carriers over the decade or so has left only four big carriers controlling almost 90 percent of the wireless market; thereby making it increasingly difficult for small and regional companies to compete.

The GAO report was based on a comprehensive study of government and private sources; country-wide case studies; interviews of consumers, local and state agencies and officials, and different segments of the industry.

The report by the GAO - the investigative division of Congress – underscores the fact that though the last ten years have witnessed a drop in wireless services’ costs as well as an improvement in coverage; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) still needs to keep up its attempts to increase oversight of the wireless industry.

Noting that the FCC apparently lacks adequate data to draw any solid conclusions about the wireless industry, the report said that is quite possible that the FCC’s current policies have deterred the entry of smaller providers into the market.

According to the information forwarded to the GAO by some smaller carriers and consumer groups, the “policies for making spectrum available for commercial use, as well as policies governing some essential elements of wireless networks, favor large national carriers, potentially jeopardizing the competitiveness of the wireless industry.”