FCC’s Spectrum Auction Approaches $20B in Bids | Epicenter from Wired.com: “
FCC’s Spectrum Auction Approaches $20B in Bids
By Bryan Gardiner February 05, 2008 | 1:22:23 PMCategories: Telecom
After 32 rounds, the FCC has raised more than $18.8 billion in its 700-MHz auction, well surpassing its own early estimates of attracting between $10-15 billion in offers.
That’s undoubtedly good news for the agency. Since the auction began on Jan. 24, both the FCC and wireless experts have expressed ongoing concerns about meeting those estimates. Once the auction was underway, those worries were compounded by a shaky economic forecast and the possibility of a looming recession.
Interestingly, the fiercest bidding continues to be for a handful of regional licenses, implying that most bidders are incumbent carriers, not new entrants to the wireless space, and that their biggest priority is simply to fill in various gaps in their own coverage.”
