445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 1999 Report No.WT 99-10 |
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654 |
AUCTION OF LICENSES FOR WIRELESS PHONE SERVICES RAISES $412,840,945.00
Today, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) wireless phone services auction for Broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS) raised a total net revenue of $412,840,945.00. The auctioned licenses can be used by companies to provide wireless phone services for consumers.
"Hundreds of licenses have been put into the marketplace," said Chairman William E. Kennard. "Licenses have been added to large markets like Dallas, Chicago and Phoenix, but also to smaller markets like Carlsbad, New Mexico; Alpena, Michigan; and Fairmont, West Virginia. This will lead to more PCS competition which can only mean good things for consumers."
The auction began on March 23, 1999 and closed after 78 rounds. A total of 347 C, E and F Block licenses were simultaneously auctioned: 133 - 15 MHz C block licenses, 206 - 30 MHz C block licenses, six - ten MHz E block licensees and two - ten MHz F block licenses. 302 licenses, representing over 94 % of the population in the auction were sold. The C and F block spectrum licenses are designated as Entrepreneur's Blocks and were only available to those bidders designated as such.
"The success of this auction underscores the need to prevent FCC licenses from being tied up in bankruptcy," said Chairman William E. Kennard. "The public interest would be served by the enactment of legislation to ensure that the Communications Act is not undermined by the bankruptcy code so as to deprive the American public of service. PCS licenses belong in the hands of companies that will quickly deploy these spectrum licenses and meet their financial obligations to the American taxpayer."
Broadband PCS encompasses a variety of mobile and/or portable radio services, using such devices as small, lightweight, multifunction portable phones, portable fax machines, and advanced services with two-way data capabilities that are competing with existing cellular, paging and other land mobile services.
License winners must make the down payment on their 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 time period.
-FCC -
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau contacts: Bob Reagle (Auctions) at (202) 418-0792 or
Lauren Kravetz or David Judelsohn (Commercial Wireless) at (202) 418-7240