WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission officially relieved the winning bidders of 156 licenses totaling more than $14 billion in its ill-fated attempt to re-auction personal communications services licenses during its Auction 35 last year. Those relieved bidders include Alaska Native Wireless, CellCo Partnership, Salmon PCS, VoiceStream and Unbound PCS.
The FCC originally attempted to auction off 422 licenses, but only 165 have been awarded to the winning bidders. The remaining 257 licenses are currently tied up in bankruptcy court proceedings involving NextWave Telecom Inc. and Urban Communications.
Analysts expect the remaining license winners will have their financial responsibilities removed in the next few weeks.
Dobson Communications Corp. reported the FCC has notified its DCC PCS Inc. subsidiary that the government will refund the $16.1 million in deposits related to the commission’s Auction 35 by the end of the year.
The refunded deposits are connected to 11 wireless licenses for which DCC was the high bidder that are currently tied up in NextWave Telecom Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings. Dobson said the FCC is keeping $1.9 million in deposits related to a pending application for three non-NextWave licenses it won in Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska, and Syracuse, N.Y.
