Another spectrum auction in the works?

Once upon a time, we were told that the 700 MHz auction would be important because it would be the last of its kind for a long time. Looks like a long time means less than a year. FCC Chair Kevin Martin has scheduled a vote that would set the rules for a new AWS auction. Among the proposals is that the winner must provide free broadband service in some capacity.
The rules also look to force winners to build out the network quickly. Fifty percent of the population must be reached within four years, and 95 percent before the end of the license term.

“We’ve had a variety of proposals that had come into the commission originally where some people wanted us to give them the spectrum,” said Martin in a briefing with reporters.

This doesn’t sound like it has any implications for the 700 MHz D Block, which went unpurchased, since no one met the $1.3 billion reserve price.

About the Author

Joe Pawlikowski is the Senior Editor at MobileMoo.com and has been covering the mobile industry full time since 2007. When he's not writing about the tech scene, he can be found discussing his personal love - baseball (and more specifically the New York Yankees) as well as writing on his personal blog.