700 MHz auction bidding hits single digits

Could today be the day that the Federal Communication Commission’s 700 MHz spectrum auction comes to an end?
New bids continued to dwindle in Auction 73, with action during rounds 170 through 178 huddled in the low double digits, before dropping to 7 new bids in round 179. The FCC has said the auction will continue until there are no new bids during a round. The auction is set to run through round 184 today.
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The once-vibrant E Block has seen the biggest drop in bidding activity over the past several days, with only a pair of new bids placed during rounds 170 through 175, before falling to only a single bid for the license covering Minot, N.D., during rounds 176 through 179.
The A Block has seen a similar drop, with new bids falling to just one during round 179 for the license covering Richmond, Va. That license was the single largest contributor to the $287,400 in new potential winning bid amounts for round 179.
The geographically smaller B-Block licenses have seen a similar decline, with new bids dropping from nine during round 175 to five new bids in round 179. Those licenses pinged in round 179 covered Jackson, Mich.; Burlington, N.C.; American Samoa; Johnson, Tenn.; and Imperial, Calif.
Overall potential winning bids stood at $19.587 billion after round 179.
The FCC has posted a daylight savings time reminder on its auction site reminding bidders that the bidding schedule will be based on Eastern Daylight Savings Time should the auction continue into next week.