While the Federal Communications Commission still does not have renewed spectrum auction authority, which Congress allowed to expire, it has passed a law that will allow the regulator “one-time, temporary” authority to license the 2.5-GHz 5G spectrum it auctioned last year.

That midband spectrum auction, which ended in August 2022, drew $427,789,670 in gross bids for for 7,872 licenses. The band had been reserved for educational (EBS) licenses, but the FCC in 2019 converted it to flexible use, including for 5G.

The licenses can be used for any terrestrial fixed or mobile broadband service. They have buildout requirements of signal coverage of 50% of the license area within four years and 80% within eight years.

Also Read: FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel Has No Worries About Auction Authority Sunset and 2.5 GHz Spectrum

The stopgap 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (SALE) Act had already passed the Senate in September and passed the House Monday (December 11). It authorizes the FCC to process the applications for those successful bidders, even though the FCC’s authority over such auctions expired March 9, 2023.

The FCC had begun handing out the licenses in December 2022.

“CCA commends Congress for passing S. 2787, the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (SALE) Act and urges President Biden to swiftly sign it into law,” Tim Donovan, president of the Competitive Carriers Association, said. “CCA hopes this momentum will carry into Congress fully reinstating FCC spectrum auction authority.”

Said bill sponsor Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.): “My 5G SALE Act provides Americans with access to broadband by giving the FCC the authority to finish transferring previously auctioned spectrum to companies that offer 5G coverage.” 

The FCC’s spectrum authorization lapsed in March due to Congress’s inability to pass a must-pass spending bill with auction authority attached. That came after several bills had extended the FCC’s authority temporarily after it was set to expire in September 2022.

Congress is taking another shot at renewing the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction authority, after that authorization lapsed in March due to its inability to pass a must-pass spending bill with auction authority attached. But the legislation is yet another stopgap renewal.

Listed last on a raft of 28 House bills all targeted at closing the digital divide is one that will be key to freeing up more spectrum for Wi-Fi: Allowing the FCC to auction spectrum by extending its authority, though only until June 30, 2023.

A marathon markup in the House Communications Subcommittee Wednesday (May 16) will include a bill, not yet named or numbered, “to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend the authority of the [FCC] to grant a license or construction permit through a system of competitive bidding.”

A markup is a committee or subcommittee business meeting during which bills are amended, debated and ideally get an up or down vote out of the subcommittee. Next stop would be a full committee vote.

Also Read: House E&C Leaders Decry Looming Lapse of FCC Spectrum Auction Authority

The FCC spectrum auction authority bill is being introduced by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (D-Wash.), chair of the full Energy & Commerce Committee.

The House last month passed H.R. 1108, which at least would have extended the FCC’s authority to May 19, but the Senate failed to follow suit before that authority expired. The FCC’s authority was set to expire on September 30, 2022, but then was extended four times through March 9, 2023.

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel has called on Congress to pass a long-term extension.

In 1993, Congress authorized the FCC to grant licenses via competitive bidding, bringing in billions of dollars for the treasury.

In a report on FCC spectrum auction authority, the Congressional Research Service warned that allowing the authority to expire will create potential uncertainty “for both agencies and industry.”

Among the other 27 bills getting vetted Wednesday are a number of deregulatory bills that are intended to speed both wired and wireless broadband deployment by 1) goosing tower citing decisions; 2) setting deadlines for local franchising authorities to grant or deny applications for cable franchises and requiring those authorities to provide plenty of supporting evidence for decisions to deny a franchise; and making it easier to deploy on federal lands.

“Access to reliable high-speed broadband services has become an essential tool,” Rodgers said in announcing the markup. “In order to ensure all Americans are connected, we need to remove regulatory burdens and cut the red tape, which have resulted in unnecessary permitting delays and exorbitant costs to deploying our communications infrastructure.”

The full list of bills being marked up is below:

• H.R. 3279, the “Winning the International Race for Economic Leadership and Expanding Service to Support Leadership Act” or the “WIRELESS Leadership Act” (Rep. Latta)
• H.R. 3295, the “Barriers and Regulatory Obstacles Avoids Deployment of Broadband Access and Needs Deregulatory Leadership Act” or the “BROADBAND Leadership Act” (Rep. Griffith)
• H.R. 3287, the “Cable Access for Broadband and Local Economic Leadership Act” or the “CABLE Leadership Act” (Rep. Balderson)
• H.R. ___, the “Connecting and Building Lines for Expedited Expansion Act” or the “CABLE Expansion Act” (Rep. Lesko)
• H.R. ___, the “Consumer Access to Broadband for Local Economies and Competition Act” or the “CABLE Competition Act” (Rep. Burgess)
• H.R. ___, the “Cable Transparency Act” (Rep. Weber)
• H.R. 3298, the “Broadband Expansion and Deployment Fee Equity and Efficiency Act” or the “BEAD FEES Act” (Rep. Allen)
• H.R. ___, the “Granting Remaining Applications Not Treated Efficiently or Delayed Act” or the “GRANTED Act” (Rep. Obernolte)
• H.R. 3300, the “5G Using Previously Granted Rulings that Accelerate Deployment Everywhere Act of 2023” or the “5G UPGRADE Act of 2023” (Rep. Harshbarger)
• H.R. ___, the “Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment for Broadband Infrastructure Act of 2023” or the “SPEED for Broadband Infrastructure Act of 2023” (Rep. Pence)
• H.R. 3289, the “Wireless Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act” (Rep. Johnson)
• H.R. 3288, the “Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act” (Rep. Joyce)
• H.R. ___, the “Wireless Resiliency and Flexible Investment Act of 2023” (Rep. Bucshon)
• H.R. ___, the “Broadband Resiliency and Flexible Investment Act” (Rep. Crenshaw)
• H.R. 3291, the “Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act” (Rep. Carter)
• H.R. ___, the “Reducing Antiquated Permitting for Infrastructure Deployment Act” or the “RAPID Act” (Rep. Hudson)
• H.R. ___, the “Coastal Broadband Deployment Act” (Rep. Bilirakis)
• H.R. 3292, the “Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act” (Rep. Walberg)
• H.R. 3280, the “Timely Replacement Under Secure and Trusted for Early and Dependable Broadband Networks Act” or the “TRUSTED Broadband Networks Act” (Rep. Guthrie)
• H.R. 3301, the “Connecting Communities Post Disaster Act of 2023” (Rep. Dunn)
• H.R. 3296, the “Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act” (Rep. Rodgers)
• H.R. 3297, the “Reducing Barriers for Broadband on Federal Lands Act” (Rep. Fulcher)
• H.R. 3309, the “Standard Fees to Expedite Evaluation and Streamlining Act” or the “Standard FEES Act” (Reps. Palmer and Ryan)
• H.R. 3293, the “Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Act” (Reps. Duncan and Craig)
• H.R. 3299, the “Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act” or “DIGITAL Applications Act” (Reps. Cammack and Matsui)
• H.R. 3283, the “Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act” or “Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act” (Reps. Miller-Meeks and Dingell)
• H.R. ___, the “Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act” (Reps. Pfluger and Soto)
• H.R. ___, to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to grant a license or construction permit through a system of competitive bidding (Rep. Rodgers)

The Senate came in for plenty of criticism Friday for its failure to pass House-passed legislation extending the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction authority beyond March 9.

That came at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing on spectrum policy.

House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) had teamed with ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) to co-sponsor the legislation (H.R. 1108) extending authorization to May 19, which passed the House February 19.

She was not pleased with the turn of events. “For reasons unknown to me, certain senators decided to risk U.S. wireless leadership over a date change,” she said in her opening remarks. “A date change. That is unacceptable.”

Pallone echoed that concern in his statement. “Yesterday, for the first time since the agency gained this authority 30 years ago, Congress failed to extend it when the Senate refused to act,” he said. “The House did its work — we unanimously passed a bipartisan bill introduced by me and Chair Rodgers last month to extend the spectrum auction authority to May 19th. Our legislation would have prevented this lapse in authority. I am disappointed that the Senate did not pass the House’s bipartisan bill, but we cannot give up and our work continues.”

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee, joined the chorus: “To say this hearing comes at an unprecedented time is no overstatement. We’re here today under alarming circumstances — during a lapse in the FCC’s auction authority. Something that has never happened before.

“Simply put, this is a failure,” she continued. “To add insult to injury, it was a completely avoidable failure … The consequences of this lapse hold the potential to be severe and far-reaching. It undercuts economic growth and long-term national security.” ■

The FCC’s authority to auction spectrum was set to expire Thursday (March 9) after the Senate failed to pass a bill to extend it, prompting bipartisan pushback from House leadership.

The House last month passed H.R. 1108, which at least would have extended the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to May 19, but the Senate failed to follow suit before that authority expired.

The FCC’s authority was set to expire September 30, 2022, but was extended to December 16, then to December 22, then December 30 then March 9, 2023.

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel has called on Congress to pass a long-term extension.

Also: Rosenworcel Not Worried About Auction Authoroity Impact on 2.5 GHz Auction

On Friday, after the authority had officially expired, Rosenworcel weighed in on the situation.

“For three decades, the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction the nation’s airwaves has been an indispensable tool for harnessing the promise of new wireless technologies while also spurring economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening our national security and global leadership," she said. " Time and time again our auctions have proven to be an enormous engine for market innovation and the flourishing internet ecosystem, and for expanding the reach of next-generation connectivity to everyone, everywhere.  To date, the FCC has held 100 auctions and has raised more than $233 billion in revenues and unlocked extraordinary benefits for the American people.  

“It is my hope that the FCC’s auction authority is restored quickly so that this important program is once again able to produce results for consumers and the economy.”

In a joint statement, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Communications Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-Ohio), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) said they were disappointed that a single senator — they did not name names — was able to hold up passage of the bill, resulting in the first time the FCC has lost spectrum auction authority since its inception three decades ago.

“Extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority is vital to maintaining American leadership in wireless technology, providing certainty to the public, and securing our global competitive edge — including against countries like China that do not share our fundamental values of democracy, free speech and human rights,” they said.

In 1993, Congress authorized the FCC to grant licenses via competitive bidding, bringing in billions of dollars for the treasury.

In a report on FCC spectrum auction authority, the Congressional Research Service warned that allowing the authority to expire will create potential uncertainty “for both agencies and industry.” ■

Ever since the Titanic sank, the U.S. government has regulated the airwaves within its borders. After the Titanic’s distress signal was drowned out by amateur radio operators, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1912, putting an end to the era of a “cacophony of competing voices, none of which could be clearly and predictably heard,” as the Supreme Court described it. Now that the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction authority is set to expire, Congress must once again cut through the noise to find a path forward for America’s wireless future. 

Given the inherent scarcity of airwaves, or “spectrum,” federal intervention made sense to prevent a tragedy of the commons — or tragic shipwrecks. Since 1934, the FCC has governed commercial and other non-federal uses of spectrum, while the Department of Commerce has governed federal use. But it wasn’t until 1993 that Congress gave the FCC the authority to auction spectrum licenses: the right to transmit wireless signals at particular frequencies. This introduced market forces into the process and helped turn the page on the arbitrary bureaucratic decision-making that predated auctions. Since 1994, the FCC has conducted over 100 spectrum auctions, raising more than $200 billion in revenue.

Periodically, Congress must renew the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum. Given the agency’s history as an instrumental player in America’s leadership in wireless innovation, one might think this should be a formality for Congress. But very little is simple in Washington these days, and the FCC’s expiring authority has created an opportunity for various stakeholders to jockey for position.

Stakeholder Spats

In recent years, federal agencies and private stakeholders unhappy with the FCC’s decisions have resorted to hyperbolic rhetoric and circumvention of the proper interagency processes to air their grievances. These stakeholders have peddled unfounded fears that FCC decisions would cripple our electric grid, increase car crashes, cause plane crashes, blind meteorologists to impending natural disasters, cripple GPS and more. A failure to reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum authority would undermine the commission and embolden entities who seek to wrest control of the commercial airwaves from the regulator.

The FCC is the sole regulator of commercial use of spectrum, and auctions are an important tool for the agency as it seeks to maximize the use of the airwaves and the benefits to the American people. Thus, Congress will almost certainly reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority in the coming months, but two questions remain. First, for how long should this authority be reauthorized? Second, should reauthorization be coupled with any directives to reallocate and/or auction certain spectrum bands?

On the first question, 10-year extensions have been the norm for reauthorization. But Congress is in the midst of critical debates about how to balance the interests of commercial and federal users. Americans are ever hungrier for faster Internet speeds, fueling demand for 5G and next-gen WiFi. Their appetite will only grow as data-intensive applications such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and quantum computing continue to mature. With little to no unused spectrum left, Congress and the FCC must find ways to make room for new use cases without disrupting critical government functions or causing interference to existing users.

A shorter reauthorization, such as two years, would give Congress, the FCC, federal spectrum users, and commercial interests time to hash out how best to create a pipeline of spectrum to meet the needs of various wireless technologies — from next-gen WiFi to 5G to low-Earth orbit satellites. However, this raises the second question: what auctions, if any, should happen during those 18 months?

This question is the sticking point of the current debate over spectrum reauthorization. The wireless industry has identified the lower 3-GHz band (3.1-3.45 GHz) as ideal for 5G. The problem is that this band is currently used by the Department of Defense for radar systems. While the industry would prefer exclusive access to all 350 MHz in the band, it is a tough sell in Congress when national security is involved. The recent National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Spectrum Policy Symposium only reinforced that notion, as a Department of Defense official warned that vacating the entire band would cost the agency billions of dollars and take decades to complete. 

Legislative Solution

If forcing the Pentagon to fully vacate the band is a nonstarter, then how should Congress proceed? The Spectrum Innovation Act, as it was originally introduced, could serve as a guide. 

The initial version, introduced by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), would make at least 200 MHz of the lower 3-GHz band available for non-federal use and provide incentive payments for the DoD to either share or vacate portions of the band. This approach not only provides flexibility to find the right mix of federal and commercial use that will satisfy both the DoD and the telecommunications industry, but it also gives stakeholders time to consider other arrangements for the remaining 150 MHz in the band. 

In order for this structure to work, however, Congress would need to remove the provision of the Spectrum Innovation Act preventing the FCC from auctioning spectrum outside the designated 200-MHz band. With that provision removed, Congress could package the bill with a reauthorization of the FCC’s authority. This would not only send a clear message that the FCC’s purview over commercial spectrum is here to stay, but it would also put valuable spectrum in the pipeline for 5G. 

Efficient and effective use of spectrum is critical for the U.S. to maintain its global leadership in wireless technology. At a time when countries are competing to dominate the next wave of innovation and federal agencies are increasingly looking to undermine the FCC’s domain over commercial spectrum, Congress can ill afford to leave the agency without the auction authority it needs to continue doing its job. ▪️

As expected, T-Mobile was the biggest bidder by a huge margin in the Federal Communications Commission’s just-concluded 2.5-GHz auction.

The carrier’s gross winning bids totaled $304,325,290 for the vast majority of licenses — 7,156 of the 8,017 up for bid, with the other licenses drawing no bids.

The licenses can be used for any terrestrial fixed or mobile service and have buildout requirements of signal coverage of 50% of the license area within four years and 80% within eight years.

T-Mobile was expected to be the primary major player in the auction since the spectrum fits with holes it has in its coverage areas. One veteran spectrum watcher said likely the only reason most other carriers would be bidding was to bid up how much their competitor, T-Mobile, would have to pay to fill those holes.

There were no other big-name winners, with the second-most licenses won (107) by the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation and the second gross bid total recorded by PTI Pacifica Inc.

The auction's gross bid total of $427 million will be reduced by quite a bit, as more than three-quarters of the winning bidders qualified for millions of dollars in small business bidding credits applied to their winning prices.

There are 63 winning bidders, 77% of which qualified as small businesses or as entities serving rural ares that will support the introduction of innovative new wireless services in their local communities. In addition, Auction 108 raised gross proceeds exceeding $427 million. 

The FCC voted back in 2019 to free up the band reserved for Educational Broadband Service (EBS) service for 5G, the most likely flexible use. Educational users with the licenses can continue to use it or lease it to others (as many have already been doing), transfer it to someone else, or use it for something else. ▪️

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Friday (August 5) that she is not worried about the impact on the ongoing 2.5 GHz auction if Congress fails to extend the FCC's auction authority by the end of September, when it expires.

There is bipartisan support in Congress to extend that authority, but the bill has not made it out of Congress yet and legislators are on their August break, after which they will be primarily focused on getting themselves re-elected, though there is certainly time to extend the authority before the Sept. 30 deadline.

The House has already voted to extend the FCC's spectrum auction authority. The legislation, H.R. 7624, the “Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022,” now must pass the Senate and be signed by the President or the FCC's spectrum auction authority will expire.

At her post-public meeting press conference, Rosenworcel was asked what impact the sunset of FCC auction authority might have on an ongoing auction, given that some have suggested it could cause problems.

Rosenworcel did not sound worried. "I am not concerned at all."

"I am confident the auction can proceed under statute. The only limitation is on the ultimate issuance of the license," which she said could take some time given that the auctions can and do go on for weeks or even months and then the FCC has to review the winning bidders. "That activity typically takes several months."

But she did urge Congress to extend the authority for a long period of time, and to use the proceeds from future auctions under re-authorized FCC authority towards an upgrade to next gen 911, something she has long pushed for. "Using the auction of public airwaves to support public safety makes a lot of sense," she said.

Legislation reauthorizing the FCC would do just that, as well as provide more money for the FCC's rip-and-replace program targeting unsecure network equipment from suppliers considered a risk to national security.

After round 10 of the 2.5 GHz auction, the bidders have ponied up $146,551,500 for almost 8,000 flexible use midband spectrum licenses (165 licenses currently have no bidders). ■

After a half-dozen rounds, the Federal Communications Commission's 2.5-GHz spectrum auction has not set the spectrum world on fire as of yet, at least in terms of big bidding.

After starting out of blocks Friday (July 29) with a little more than $100 million in bids, as of round six midday Wednesday, the total was $132,177,910, or only a few million more in new bids per round.

The FCC is auctioning approximately 8,000 flexible-use, county-based geographic overlay licenses for spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band. Flexible use means it can be used for things other than 5G, but probably won't be.

Also: FCC Spectrum Auction Chugs Along

T-Mobile is expected to be the big beneficiary since it can use the auction to fill in gaps in the 2.5 GHz spectrum it got in the Sprint deal. But that could mean that there is not as much bidding from others for whom the spectrum is not as specifically useful.

As of round six, there were 2,226 licenses with more than one bidder, 5,587 licenses with only one bidder and 164 with no bidders.

The FCC is holding two, two-hour rounds per day, but look for the frequency to increase and the duration to decrease if bidding continues on a slow roll.

There are 82 qualified bidders in the auction, including AT&T, Verizon Communications, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular.

The 2.5 GHz spectrum band has been used for educational broadband services (EBS), but in 2017, with the explosion of 5G and the search for more sweet-spot midband spectrum, particularly for rural service, the FCC under chairman Ajit Pai, concluding the band was being underused, agreed to free up some of that spectrum.

EBS, formerly Instructional Television Fixed Service, or ITFS, was used in the 1960s for closed-circuit broadcasts to educational institutions. It was rebooted in the early 2000s and pointed toward broadband. ￭

The House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday (July 13) unanimously approved — 52-0 — the Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022, a bill that would, among other things, extend the Federal Communications Commission’s auction authority and direct the government to find additional midband spectrum for 5G.

The vote means the bill, which incorporates several pieces of communications legislation favorably reported out of the Communications Subcommittee in June, has now been favorably referred to the full House for a vote.

The auction-related legislation included in the bill was the Extending America’s Spectrum Auction Leadership Act of 2022, which extends the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum to March 21, 2024.

The FCC’s authority to auction spectrum sunsets on September 30 and there are no other pieces of legislation pending to extend it, so the House and Senate need to approve the bill ASAP given the dwindling number of days in the legislative session.

With the FCC planning to launch its 2.5-GHz spectrum auction, extending its authority would make sure that effort does not run into trouble if it extends past September 30.

The bill was also amended to include $10 billion funding for next-generation 911, with that money coming from the FCC’s midband auction, as well as an ongoing public safety and security fund from future auction proceeds.

Per the legislation, the FCC's auction proceeds from its newly reauthorized authority will also go to help pay for the commission's congressionally mandated Secure and Trusted Networks Act program to rip and replace suspect network equipment and services, starting with ZTE and Huawei.

The FCC has not approved all of the requests it has gotten for funds to rip and replace that suspect tech. Congress set aside $1.98 billion of funding in legislation mandating the program, while the FCC said in February it had received more than $5.5 billion in funding requests.

Also added to the bill was the Simplifying Management, Access, Reallocation, and Transfer of Spectrum [SMART] Act, which would create an ongoing framework for facilitating spectrum sharing among federal and non-federal users.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the committee chairman, said he thought that collectively the bill would raise billions of dollars in spectrum auction proceeds to fund overdue policy priorities in a way that is budget neutral, since it is anticipated all of the spending will be covered by spectrum auction proceeds.

One possible snag is that while the bill allocates $10 billion for next-generation 911 (NG 911), the cost is estimated at more like $15 billion. But Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Next Gen 911 Caucus, called it “more than a hell of a start.” 

“This is how we win the future, by coming together to solve our nation’s challenges in this committee room, under regular order, with input from members up and down the dais,” Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.), ranking member, said of the bipartisan, multipart bill. ▪️

Top Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee are pressing FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to provide information on future spectrum auction opportunities, as well policy reforms that could be needed to ensure auction rules maximize spectrum use and further next-generation technologies.

In asking for the information, ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune (R-S.D.) pointed out that under her leadership, and that of her Republican predecessor, the Federal Communications Commission had auctioned hundreds of MHz of valuable spectrum for 5G — that includes C-band and 3.45-GHz spectrum.

They pointed out that the FCC‘s authority to conduct those and any future auctions expires September 30 and wanted to know what would happen if that authority were not extended.

The senators sought answers to the following questions:

“Please respond to the following questions to help inform our deliberations:

1.) “Congress has granted frequency-specific, extended statutory authority for auctions to the FCC in some instances. Please detail the specific auction authority the FCC will retain after the expiration of the general auction authority.

2.) “What spectrum auctions are pending or in the rulemaking process? When will those auctions be completed?

3.) “What statutory tools, beyond auction authority, do you believe would improve the FCC’s ability to make additional spectrum available for auction in the future?“

4.) “What specific frequencies, if any, do you believe are good candidates for auction that the FCC does not currently have the authority to conduct following the September 2022 expiration date?

5.) “What policy reforms can be made to spectrum auction rules to promote international competitiveness, maximize spectrum use efficiency, and foster the rapid deployment of next-generation technologies?” ■

At the end of day two — and round five — the Federal Communications Commission’s 3.45-GHz auction had drawn $893,055,800 in bids. That’s up only slightly from round four's $812,765,200 total.

While first-day bidding was $672,410,700 over only two rounds. Wednesday's (Oct. 6) bidding only upped that by about $140 million. There is still a ways to go before bidding reaches the reserve price of $14,775,354,330, the minimum that has to be bid in aggregate before the auction can close.

Some estimates for the final auction take have gone as high as $25 billion.

Perhaps, but cable operators and others who had issues with how the FCC structured the auction have said that the $13.4 billion estimated cost of clearing the spectrum — hence the almost $15 billion reserve price — would “likely put licenses out of reach for all but the three largest nationwide wireless operators.”

Among the qualified bidders are AT&T, T-Mobile and Cellco Partnership (Verizon Wireless).

The bidders are competing for 4,060 flexible use licenses — they can be used for fixed or mobile service — comprising 100-MHz of spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band. The spectrum is subject to sharing with the Department of Defense, the incumbent user in the band. The DOD has identified the 100 MHz it said it could share with commercial operations so long as there were interference protections.

The renewable licenses are initially for 15 years, subject to performance requirements. There are small business, rural and tribal business credits, capped at $25 million for small business and $10 milion for rural service providers.

The FCC has decided to bump up the number of rounds in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) auction to five, and shorten them to 45 minutes, starting Tuesday, Aug. 25.

RELATED: CBRS Auction Inches Up

That is up from four one-hour rounds.

At press time, the auction had completed 66 rounds with a gross proceeds total of $4,580,094,931. But that total had only grown by a few million dollars per round over the last several rounds.

After round 66, there only 14 counties with more demand for spectrum licenses than supply.

The FCC is auctioning 70 MHz worth of county-based Priority Access Licenses (PALs) — a whopping 22,631 of them in the 3550-3650 MHz 93.5 GHz band. That is the most-ever flexible use licenses maDe available in a single auction, the FCC said. Each license will be a 10-MHz unpaired channel.

The auction is intended "to further deployment of fifth-generation (5G) wireless, the Internet of Things (IoT), and other advanced spectrum-based services in the United States." 

The FCC set a reserve price on the spectrum at $107,991,840, which was met in round one.

Pre-auction estimates for total auction proceeds ranged from about $2 billion to as much as $10 billion.

Mark Gibson, director, business development, at CommScope, and a board member of the CBRS Alliance and Wireless Innovation Forum, calls the auction historic for a number of reasons. "First, this is the most licenses ever auctioned by the FCC at 22,631. Second, this is the most bidders ever participating in an FCC auction at 271. Third, it’s likely someone will be able to acquire a spectrum license for a little over $1,000. Another notable point is that there is steady interest in small counties."

He said he thinks the auction will wind up putting some spectrum in the hands of smaller, rural interests, which is one of the FCC's goals. 

The Federal Communications Commission's Citizens Band Radio Spectrum (CBRS)  auction has been inching up over the last few rounds, increasing by only a few million dollars per round.

After round 58, gross auction proceeds were $4,519,282,603 after 58 rounds, up only about $13.5 million from the $4,505,734,069 in round 57. 

Counties with demand for spectrum greater than supply was down to 49 from 60 the previous round.

Pre-auction estimates ranged from about $2 billion to as much as $10 billion. 

The FCC continues to hold four one-hour rounds per day, but it could decrease the time in rounds or increase the frequency or take some other steps to speed the conclusion of the auction.

The FCC is auctioning 70 MHz worth of county-based Priority Access Licenses (PALs) — a whopping 22,631 of them in the 3550-3650 MHz 93.5 GHz band. That is the most-ever flexible use licenses mae available in a single auction, the FCC said. Each license will be a 10 MHz unpaired channel.   

The FCC set a reserve price on the spectrum at $107,991,840, which was met in round one.  

The FCC has indefinitely postponed Auction 106--an auction of FM broadcast construction permits that had been scheduled to start at April 28, 2020--but said it still plans to hold its auction of priority access licenses in the CBRS band (Auction 105) this summer, the latest step in the FCC's race to freeing up 5G spectrum. 

The CBRS license auction filing window will now open April 23, 2020, and close May 7. 

Bidding will begin July 23. The auction had been scheduled to begin June 25. It features the most licenses ever up for bid in a single auction--22,631.  

As to auction 106, the FCC said that anyone who had submitted upfront payments can get a refund upon written request.  

The FCC voted 3-1 along party lines Oct. 23, 2018, to change the rules on licenses for the 3.5 GHz (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) band to make it more attractive for providers of 5G at auction, which includes cable ops looking to up their mobile broadband game. The change was billed as a way to spur investment in the band and promote more efficient use, including for 5G.  

Spectrum Issues before the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the president’s chief spectrum policy advisory arm, won’t be handled by the acting NTIA chief.

That would be Diane Rinaldo, formerly deputy assistant secretary, who was named to the post after the departure last month of assistant secretary and NTIA Administrator David Redl.

That is because her husband works for T-Mobile (likely soon to be a combination of T-Mobile and Sprint) and she has recused herself from dealing with spectrum-related issues, according to a source.

But those spectrum issues — including finding more of it for 5G — are in good hands, the source assured The Wire, including those of acting deputy assistant secretary Doug Kinkoph, who oversaw the $4 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and State Broadband Initiatives created by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus program.