The FCC’s 700 MHz spectrum auction finished Round 15 this morning, breaking the pre-auction forecasts of between $10 billion and $15 billion in total winning bids. Bidding topped $11.57 billion at the end of the fifth day. The bidding on the eight C-Block licenses ground to a halt in round 16 — just short of the $4.6 billion reserve price set by the FCC. The minimum bid now stands at $4.7 billion, just past the reserve price.
The lone $472 million bid for the D block spectrum is far below the $1.3 billion minimum price set by the FCC.
Rep. Edward Markey, chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Internet and Telecommunications, told a hearing on Tuesday that the lagging interest in the D block was “discouraging.”
If no bidder meets the minimum price for the D block, the FCC can re-auction that piece of the spectrum and possibly modify the requirements. Two more rounds are scheduled for this afternoon.
The auction now gets interesting. If Google wants open access, they will have to bid past $4.6 billion to trigger the “open access” provisions. Some speculate that Google never really wanted to be in the phone business — they only wanted to get the FCC to impose open access provisions — which the FCC did at the reserve $4.6B level. Then Google could provide Android on Verizon’s “open platform”.
Given that AT&T bought Channel 54 and 59 from Aloha Partners, the 22Mhz of “C Band” might be a battle between Google and Verizon. When (or if) Verizon blinks, we’ll learn how serious Google really is about providing ubiquitous wireless broadband service across the United States.
| Block | Frequencies (MHz) | Bandwidth | Pairing | Geographic Area Type |
No. of Licenses |
| A | 698-704, 728-734 | 12 MHz | 2 x 6 MHz | EA | 176 |
| B | 704-710, 734-740 | 12 MHz | 2 x 6 MHz | CMA | 734 |
| E | 722-728 | 6 MHz | unpaired | EA | 176 |
| C | 746-757, 776-787 | 22 MHz | 2 x 11 MHz | REAG | 12 |
| D | 758-763, 788-793 | 10 MHz | 2 x 5 MHz | Nationwide | 1* |
| *Subject to conditions respecting a public/private partnership. | |||||
Blog Runner and RCR News have the latest.
Related DailyWireless stories include; 700MHz Auction: Round One, 700MHz Auction Tomorrow, Frontline: Out of Business, The 700 MHz List, Google’s 700 MHz Plans, FCC Finalizes Rules on 700MHz: Limited Open Access, No Wholesale Requirement, Frontline: Martin Plan Not ‘Open’, Frontline Files 700MHz Plan with FCC, Cyren Call Proposes Joint Commecial/Muni for 700Mhz, 700 MHz Scenarios, AT&T Buys 700MHz from Aloha, Google Android hits G-Spot, Cyren Call to Manage Public Safety Spectrum, Android Developer Challenge — $10M, Google: We Got Trouble. . . In 700 Mhz, AT&T, Verizon & Frontline Want 700Mhz Changes, AT&T Buying 700 MHz from Aloha Partners, Oregon’s $500 Million Statewide Wireless Network, General Dynamics Wins IWN Contract, Joint Commecial/Muni Proposed for 700Mhz, Small Ops Squeezed Out of 700MHz?, Verizon Makes its Move for Universal Service Fund, The Smartest Guy in the Room, 700 MHz On The Line?, 700 Mhz Worth $28B, RUS Funding for 700 MHz, The 700 Mhz Club, Channel 54: Where are You?
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