FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: News Media Contact: January 26, 2001 Mark Rubin at (202) 418-2924 E-mail: mrubin@fcc.gov C AND F BLOCK BROADBAND PCS SPECTRUM AUCTION RAISES NEARLY $17 BILLION FOR U.S. TREASURY Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission's C and F Block broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS) spectrum auction ended on Friday, January 26, 2001, raising a total net revenue of $16,857,046,150. PCS authorizations may be used to deploy innovative wireless communications services across the United States. The additional deployment of PCS service will benefit consumers by raising the overall level of competition in wireless telecommunications markets. The auction began on December 12, 2000, and ended after 101 rounds of bidding. A total of 422 licenses covering 195 markets across the country were offered. Markets in the auction included New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C. One hundred and seventy licenses were available only to entrepreneurs in closed bidding, and 252 licenses were available to all bidders in open bidding. Winning bidders must make down payments on licenses within 10 business days after the release of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Public Notice announcing the close of the auction. The Public Notice will be released early next week. 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: Rosemary Cabral (Auctions Legal Branch) at (202) 418-0660 or rcabral@fcc.gov; Craig Bomberger (Auctions Operations Branch) at (202) 418-0660 or cbomberg@fcc.gov; or Gary Oshinsky (Commercial Wireless Division) at (202) 418-7167 or goshinsk@fcc.gov; TTY at (202) 418-7233. - FCC - News media Information 202 / 418-0500 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 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).