700 MHz action scattered across A, B and E blocks

The number of new bids in the Federal Communication Commission’s ongoing 700 MHz spectrum auction held steady at around 50 during each of this morning’s rounds, showing continued interest in a small number of A-, B- and E-Block licenses.
Bidders grabbed at the A-Block license for Rapid City, S.D., and surrounding areas today, with the license generating new bids during each of the rounds held this morning. B-Block licenses in parts of California and Michigan also attracted interest, as well as a number of E-Block licenses covering parts of North and South Dakota.
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The A Block had an average price per megahertz/potential customer covered of $1.15 at the end of round 97, according to Optimal Markets Inc. The B Block sat at $2.67 per MHz/pop, and the E Block was $0.71.
There were a total of 51 new bids during round 97, bringing the auction’s total potential winning bids to a whopping $19.512 billion. The number of bids per round is steadily dwindling in the auction that started Jan. 24.
Action on the C and D Blocks is apparently over, with the C Block split into a handful of regional licenses; the Mississippi Valley C Block has generated the auction’s largest single provisionally winning bid of $1.6 billion. The D Block though remains well below its reserve price (it has only received one bid, during the first round), which means the FCC likely will have to re-auction the spectrum.
The FCC’s 700 MHz auction likely will continue into next week, and the agency will reveal the identities of winning bidders at some point after the close of the auction.