Auction 96: H Block

Summary

January 22, 2014 - February 27, 2014

Rounds:

167

Bidding Days:

Qualified Bidders:

Winning Bidders:

1 Bidder won 176 Licenses

Gross Bids:

$1,564,000,000

Net Bids:

$1,564,000,000

Maps & Band Plans

Economic Areas including Gulf of Mexico Map

H Block

General Information

No general information available.

Recent Releases
Major Releases

2/28/2014
Winning Bidders

1/8/2014
Qualified Bidders

12/4/2013
Applications to Participate

9/13/2013
Procedures

7/15/2013
Comment Sought

8/16/2018
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER (FCC 18-123)
FCC Dismisses NTCH Application for Review of DISH Waiver

2/28/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-279)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands Closes; Winning Bidder Announced for Auction 96

2/27/2014
NEWS RELEASE
Statement from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on H Block Auction Close
pdf - Word

2/27/2014

NEWS RELEASE
Statement of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn on Successful H Block Auction

pdf - Word

Fact Sheet

Date:

Auction 96 began on 1/22/2014 and closed on 2/27/2014.

Licenses:

176 licenses total: 1 in each of the 176 Economic Areas (EAs)

Spectrum:

1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz bands

Bandwidth:

10 MHz (1915-1920 /1995-2000 MHz)

Winning Bidders:

1 Bidder won 176 Licenses

Rounds:

167

Qualified Bidders:

Licenses Won:

176

Total Licenses:

176

Net Bids:

$1,564,000,000

Gross Bids:

$1,564,000,000

General information and associated licensing parameters are provided below. Public notices provide specific information regarding this auction. This fact sheet includes:

Key Dates
Licenses Offered
Permissible Operations
License Period and Construction Requirements
Small Business Bidding Credit
Tribal Land Bidding Credit
Licensing Rules

Key Dates

Event	Date
Comments Due	8/5/2013
Reply Comments Due	8/16/2013
Auction Tutorial Available (via Internet)	11/4/2013
Form 175 (Short Form) Application Filing Window Opens	11/4/2013; Noon ET
Form 175 (Short Form) Application Filing Deadline	11/15/2013; 6:00 pm ET
Upfront Payments Deadline	12/18/2013; 6:00 pm ET
Mock Auction	1/17/2014
Auction Start	1/22/2014
Auction Closed	2/27/2014

Licenses Offered

Auction 96 will offer one license for each of the 176 Economic Areas (EAs), including the Gulf of Mexico. The H Block frequencies will be licensed as paired 5 megahertz blocks, with each license having a total bandwidth of 10 megahertz: 1915-1920 MHz for mobile and low power fixed (i.e., uplink) operations and 1995-2000 MHz for base station and fixed (i.e., downlink) operations.

H Block Band Plan (pdf)

For a complete list of the licenses available in Auction 96, see Attachment A of Public Notice DA 13-1885, released September 13, 2013.

Cost-Sharing Obligations. The spectrum in the Lower H Block and the Upper H Block is subject to cost-sharing requirements related to the past clearing and relocation of incumbent users from these bands. See Public Notice DA 13-1885 for more detailed information.

Reserve Price. There will be an aggregate reserve price of $1.564 billion for the H Block licenses in Auction 96. See Public Notice DA 13-1885 for more detailed information.

Permissible Operations

Spectrum in the H Block can be used to provide any terrestrial fixed or mobile wireless services, including broadband services.

License Period and Construction Requirements

License Period. Initial authorizations will be granted for a ten year term.

Construction Requirements. There are certain buildout requirements for the H Block licenses offered in Auction 96. You must provide reliable signal coverage and offer service to at least 40 percent of the population in each of your license areas within 4 years after license grant, and provide reliable signal coverage and offer service to at least 75 percent of the population in each of your license areas within 10 years after license grant.

Partitioning and/or disaggregation of H Block licenses is permitted.

Small Business Bidding Credit

Eligible applicants in Auction 96 may claim a small business bidding credit. A bidding credit represents the amount by which a bidder’s winning bids are discounted. The size of the bidding credit depends on the average annual gross revenues for the preceding three years for the applicant, its affiliates, its controlling interests, and the affiliates of its controlling interest, as well as the average annual gross revenues of any entity with which the applicant has an attributable material relationship, as defined by the Commission’s rules.

The level of bidding credit for the Auction 96 is determined as follows:

A bidder with attributable average annual gross revenues that do not exceed $40 million for the preceding three years receives a 15 percent discount on its winning bid;
A bidder with attributable average annual gross revenues that do not exceed $15 million for the preceding three years receives a 25 percent discount on its winning bid.

Bidding credits are not cumulative. A qualifying applicant will receive either a 15 percent or a 25 percent bidding credit on its winning bids, but not both.

Tribal Land Bidding Credit

A winning bidder that intends to use its license(s) to deploy facilities and provide services to federally-recognized tribal lands that are unserved by any telecommunications carrier or that have a wireline penetration rate equal to or below 85 percent is eligible to receive a tribal lands bidding credit as set forth in 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.2107(e) and 1.2110(f). A tribal lands bidding credit is in addition to, and separate from, any other bidding credit for which a winning bidder may qualify. A winning bidder need not qualify for a small business bidding credit to be eligible for a tribal lands bidding credit.

Licensing Rules

47 C.F.R. Parts 1 and 27

Releases P

2/28/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-279)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands Closes; Winning Bidder Announced for Auction 96
Down Payments and FCC Forms 601 and 602 Due March 14, 2014, Final Payments Due March 28, 2014.

1/8/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-8)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands; 23 Bidders Qualified to Participate in Auction 96

12/4/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-2311)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands; Status of Short-Form Applications to Participate in Auction 96

10/21/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-2033)
Auction for H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands Rescheduled for January 22, 2014; Notice of Changes to Auction 96 Schedule Following Resumption of Normal Commission Operations

9/13/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1885)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands Scheduled for January 14, 2014; Notice and Filing Requirements, Reserve Price, Minimum Opening Bids, Upfront Payments and other Procedures for Auction 96
The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau establishes the procedures, reserve price, and minimum opening bids for the upcoming auction of licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz bands (the "H Block").

7/15/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1540)
Auction of H Block Licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz Bands; Comment Sought on Competitive Bidding Procedures for Auction 96
The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announces the auction of licenses in the 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz bands (the H Block), and seeks comment on the procedures to be used for this auction.

Copies of comments and reply comments filed in response to this public notice may be found by using the search function of ECFS under proceeding 13-178 or through the FCC Reference Information Center, which is located at the Commission's Headquarters.

Releases O

8/16/2018
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER (FCC 18-123)
FCC Dismisses NTCH Application for Review of DISH Waiver

11/27/2013

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER (DA 13-2281)
NTCH, Inc., Petition for Reconsideration of Public Notice Announcing Procedures and Reserve Price for Auction of H Block Licenses (Auction 96)

Denied petition filed by NTCH to reconsider certain procedures adopted for use in the upcoming H Block auction.

Releases N

2/27/2014
NEWS RELEASE
Statement from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on H Block Auction Close
pdf - Word

2/27/2014
NEWS RELEASE
Statement of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn on Successful H Block Auction
pdf - Word

2/27/2014
NEWS RELEASE
Statement of FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai on Closing of H Block Auction
pdf - Word

1/22/2014
NEWS RELEASE
Statement of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn on H Block Auction
pdf - Word