The FCC Wireless Bureau wrapped up its 220 MHz spectrum audit, re...
The FCC Wireless Bureau wrapped up its 220 MHz spectrum audit, recovering 32% of 956 audited licenses. The spectrum recovered was from licensees no longer operating in their spectrum. The audit covered Phase 1 licenses in the QT, QD…
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and QO radio services, which were awarded in a lottery before May 25, 2001, and can be used for 2-way voice and data services. The point of the audit was to update the Commission’s licensing database and to promote more efficient spectrum use by taking back spectrum from licensees that no longer were operating in it. The Bureau said the audit concluded last month with a 78% response rate to letters to licensees. The Bureau found: (1) 68% of licensees certified they had kept operations running for a year or more. (2) 10% certified their licenses cancelled automatically for discontinuance of operations. (3) 16% didn’t respond and their licenses expired during the audit and weren’t renewed. (4) 6% were deemed to have cancelled automatically because they failed to respond. The Bureau said it would conduct future audits in other wireless service that it would announce later. Under FCC rules, spectrum recovered from canceled site-based licenses, as well as spectrum from expired licenses, automatically reverts to the geographic licensees who won spectrum in the agency’s auction process.