By Grant Gross
PC World Communications
Copyright 2008 PC World Communications
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission closed its auction of 700MHz spectrum late Tuesday, but it faces a major decision on what to do with a block of spectrum designated for use by public safety agencies that did not meet the minimum bidding requirements.
Total bids for the 38-day auction were $19.59 billion, nearly double the $10 billion figure the U.S. Congress had budgeted. But the high bid for the so-called D block, a 10MHz band of spectrum that would have been paired with another 10MHz assigned to public safety agencies, was only $472 million, far short of the $1.33 billion reserve price set by the FCC.
Until the FCC decides what next to do with the D block, it won’t announce the winners of the rest of the spectrum, a source at the FCC said. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed that commissioners “de-link” the D block from the rest of the spectrum, allowing the FCC to make new rules for the sale of the public safety block, the source said. The FCC does not yet have a timeframe for the decision on whether to de-link the D block.
Full Story: Several rules attached to auction raised objections