FCC Left $22.5 Billion 'on the Table' in AWS-3 Auction, Phoenix Center Says
The FCC “left a staggering $22.5 billion on the table” in its recently concluded AWS-3 auction, the Phoenix Center said Wednesday in a report. The FCC raised almost $45 billion for the 65 MHz of AWS-3 spectrum, setting a new…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
record for a U.S. spectrum auction (see 1501290059). FCC adoption of a hybrid block-sized approach likely reduced auction revenue by $1.5 billion, while the commission’s decision not to pair the 1695-1710 MHz band with complementary spectrum likely reduced auction revenue by up to $21 billion, the center said. “The AWS-3 auction signals the industry's low confidence with the government's willingness and ability to increase the supply of spectrum for commercial purposes,” said center Chief Economist George Ford in a news release.