The FCC will auction off a handful of licenses in the 700 MHz band which failed to sell in its 2008 auction, the agency announced yesterday.
In Auction 92, the FCC will sell off two 700 MHz A Block licenses in Wheeling, West Virginia, and Lubbock, Texas, and 14 700 MHz B Block licenses in markets ranging from North Dakota to Puerto Rico.
The A Block consists of 12 MHz of paired spectrum between 698-704 MHz and 728-734 MHz. The licenses for the B Block offer 12 MHz of paired spectrum between 704-710 MHz and 734-740 MHz.
Minimum opening bids for all 16 licenses start at $1.42 million. The opening price was based on 10 percent of the highest bid amount received for the licenses during Auction 73 in 2008.
The auction is scheduled to begin on July 19, 2011, and stakeholders have until Jan. 12, 2011, to comment on the proposed sale of the licenses, with reply comments due by Jan. 27, 2011.
The FCC is working to free up 300 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband over the next five years and has promised to open up an additional 200 MHz within 10 years.
Filed Under: Industry regulations
