FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: March 3, 2000 Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654 FCC COMPLETES FIRST AUCTION OF PAGING LICENSES Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission's first paging auction ended yesterday resulting in 78 winning bidders and 985 licenses being sold for a total of $4,122,500 in net high bids. These licenses can be used by companies to provide both traditional paging and advanced messaging and data services. "This is another good example of why auctions are a tremendously efficient way to license spectrum," said Tom Sugrue, Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, "In exactly one week the FCC was able to sell almost a thousand licenses to be used by companies to expand their existing coverage and to provide new and enhanced services." The auction, which began on February 24, ended after 28 rounds of bidding. Of the winning bidders 57 claimed small business status and those companies won a total of 440 licenses. The auction consisted of 20 kilohertz paging licenses located in both the 929 megahertz (MHz) and 931 MHz bands. Licenses were auctioned in 51 Major Economic Areas across the United States including cities such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. License winners must make down payments on licenses ten business days after the release of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Public Notice announcing the close of the auction. Winning bidders must also file their long form applications with the FCC within the same period. Further details about this and other FCC auctions can be accessed via the FCC's homepage at: http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/. FCC contacts (Auctions and Industry Analysis Division): Lisa Hartigan (202) 418-0695 or hartigan@fcc.gov, TTY at (202) 418-7233 or (Commercial Wireless Division) Bettye Woodward at (202) 418-1345 or bwoodwar@fcc.gov, TTY at (202) 418-7233. - FCC -