The Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz spectrum auction trudged into day 38 of bidding activity due to a small number of bids — in some cases a single bid placed during a round — that continue to be placed on a handful of licenses.
Over the past 14 rounds, only five licenses have received new bids: B-Block licenses covering Johnson, Tenn.; Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico; and Tehama, Calif.; and the E-Block license covering American Samoa.
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The miniscule bids have added little to the auction’s bottom line, which has increased by just a couple hundred thousand dollars since yesterday. The FCC’s 700 MHz auction, dubbed Auction 73, stood at just over $19.592 billion after round 256.
Auction participants have placed bids on all but eight of the 1,099 licenses up for grabs. Those without the love include A-Block licenses covering Lubbock, Texas and Wheeling, W.Va.; and B-Block licenses covering Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks, N.D.; Lee, Va.; Yancey, N.C.; and Clarendon, S.C.
The auction is set to conclude once a round does not receive any new bids. The FCC will then release the names of winners 10 days following the end of the auction.
700 MHz auction keeps on keeping on: Bidders pass round 256 with handful of bids
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