FCC Ends 700 MHz Auction

Apu writes "Having received bids totaling $19.5 billion over 260 rounds of bidding, the FCC has announced the closing of Auction 73. The Chairman's statement notes that the auction has "raised more money than any [FCC] auction has ever raised" besting the 2006 Advanced Wireless Service-1 auction that raised $13.9 billion and topping the $10.6 billion Congress estimated it would receive for the 700 MHz spectrum. The New York Times reports that "the last bid in the auction was $91,000 for frequencies around Vieques, Puerto Rico." According to the FCC, "eight unsold licenses [...] remain held by the FCC and will again be made available [...] in a future auction." This includes the "D block" which was to be shared by commercial and public safety users and only received a single $472 million bid, below the $1.3 billion reserve price. However, as previously reported, the open access provisions will apply to one-third of the auctioned spectrum as the minimum $4.6 billion bid for the "C" block was received. The names of the winning bidders have not yet been made public."

Re:The shutdown of future learning

[Trigun]

Microwave ovens are more fun, and they operate in the public spectrum.

Re:Misspelling

[joaommp]

you must be new here.

Reminds me of a funny story

[elrous0]

Guy is deep in debt. His kids have had to leave their private school. His furniture has been reposed. The sheriff has put up a foreclosure notice on his front door. He comes home smiling. His wife asks him why he's smiling.

"Because I just won $50 on a lottery ticket!"

oblig.

[Rob T Firefly]

Instead of rights to electromagnetic spectrum, box contained bobcat. Would not buy again. [xkcd.com]

Re:Government "may" release the names of the winne

[PopeRatzo]

The government has yet to release the names of the winning bidders, but it may do so in the next few weeks.

I didn't want to say anything yet, but I was the winning bidder.

I'm planning to use that part of the frequency spectrum to broadcast round the clock demo tapes from '80s cover bands, the piano works of Conlon Nancarrow and the speeches of Everett Dirksen.

And if you're wondering, yes, I've got the idea protected legally, so don't try to beat me out of the gate.