Auction 55: 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service

Summary

February 11, 2004 - February 25, 2004
Rounds:
76
Bidding Days:
10
Qualified Bidders:
17
Winning Bidders:
5 bidders won 55 licenses
Gross Bids:
$4,866,000
Net Bids:
$4,861,020
Reports Files
Top Licenses (by Bids and Population)
Summary of Round Results
Bidders Sorted by Total Net Bids and High Bids
Activity and Revenue Graph
Markets Data
Bidder Data
Spreadsheets Files
All Markets
All Bidders
Charts Files
Bidder Data
Licenses by Bidder
License Winner, Sorted by License
Maps & Band Plans
Major Trading Areas Map
General Information
Tribal Land Bidding Credits
Includes Tribal Land MTA Cross Reference

Fact Sheet

Date:

Auction 55 began on 2/11/2004 and closed on 2/25/2004.
Round 76 See (PN DA 04-578)

 
Spectrum:

896 - 901 MHz and 935 - 940 MHz

Bandwidth:

Blocks A thru T - 0.25 MHz each (paired 0.125 MHz segments)

Winning Bidders:
5 bidders won 55 licenses
Rounds:
76
Qualified Bidders:
17
Licenses Won:
55
Total Licenses:
55
Net Bids:
$4,861,020
Gross Bids:
$4,866,000
 
General information and associated licensing parameters are provided below. Public Notices provide specific information regarding this auction. This fact sheet includes:
 

Key Dates

EventDate
Pre-Auction Seminar
12/3/2003
Form 175 (Short Form) Application Filing Deadline
12/15/2003; 12:00 noon ET
Upfront Payments Deadline
1/15/2004; 12:00 noon ET
Mock Auction
2/6/2004
Auction Start
2/11/2004
Auction Closed
2/25/2004

Licenses Offered

Auction No. 55 included 55 Major Trading Area (MTA) licenses in the Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) Service in the 896-901 MHz and 935-940 MHz bands. A complete list of licenses for Auction No. 55 and their descriptions is provided in Attachment A of Public Notice DA 03-3235. The MTAs are based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition.
Channel BlockChannel NumbersFrequency* (MHz)
A 1-10896.00625 - 896.13125       935.00625 - 935.13125
B21-30896.25625 - 896.38125       935.25625 - 935.38125
C41-50896.50625 - 896.63125       935.50625 - 935.63125
D61-70896.75625 - 896.88125       935.75625 - 935.88125
E81-90897.00625 - 897.13125       936.00625 - 936.13125
F101-110897.25625 - 897.38125       936.25625 - 936.38125
G121-130897.50625 - 897.63125       936.50625 - 936.63125
H141-150897.75625 - 897.88125       936.75625 - 936.88125
I161-170898.00625 - 898.13125       937.00625 - 937.13125
J181-190898.25625 - 898.38125       937.25625 - 937.38125
K201-210898.50625 - 898.63125       937.50625 - 937.63125
L221-230898.75625 - 898.88125       937.75625 - 937.88125
M241-250899.00625 - 899.13125       938.00625 - 938.13125
N261-270899.25625 - 899.38125       938.25625 - 938.38125
O281-290899.50625 - 899.63125       938.50625 - 938.63125
P301-310899.75625 - 899.88125       938.75625 - 938.88125
Q321-330900.00625 - 900.13125       939.00625 - 939.13125
R341-350900.25625 - 900.38125       939.25625 - 939.38125
S361-370900.50625 - 900.63125       939.50625 - 939.63125
T381-390900.75625 - 900.88125       939.75625 - 939.88125
* For channel center frequencies, see 47 CFR § 90.613.
The channel block/frequency cross-reference table is available in the following files: pdf, Word
Note: For Auction No. 55, licenses are not available in every market or for each channel block listed in the table. In one case, a license is available for only part of a market. See Attachment A of Public Notice DA 03-3235 to determine which licenses will be offered.
 

Permissible Operations

Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) Services are used primarily for voice communications. Systems are also being developed for data and facsimile services. Additionally, the development of digital SMR technology is allowing new features and services such as two-way acknowledgement paging & inventory tracking, credit and authorization, automatic vehicle location, fleet management, remote database access, and voice mail.
 

License Period

Licenses are issued for a term not to exceed ten years.
Build Out Requirements: 1/3 of service area population in 3 years; 2/3 of service area population in 5 years. Alternatively, at the five year mark, submit a showing of "substantial service." See 47 C.F.R. § 90.665(c).
 

Bidding Credits

Bidding credits are available to small businesses or consortia thereof, as defined in 47 C.F.R. §§ 90.810 and 90.814. A bidding credit is a payment discount on a winning bid determined at the conclusion of the bidding process. The size of the bidding credit depends on the average annual gross revenues for the preceding three years of the bidder, its affiliates, its controlling interests, and the affiliates of its controlling interests: 

Small business bidding credits are not cumulative. A qualifying applicant receives either the 10 percent or the 15 percent bidding credit on its winning bid, but only one credit per license.

Tribal Land Credits

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 telephone service penetration rate equal to or below 70 percent is eligible to receive a tribal land bidding credit as set forth in 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.2107(e) and 1.2110(f). A tribal land 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.
Unlike other bidding credits that are requested prior to the auction, a winning bidder applies for the tribal land bidding credit after winning the auction when it files its long-form application (FCC Form 601). In order for a winning bidder to be awarded a tribal land bidding credit, it must provide specific certifications regarding the servicing of tribal lands and is subject to specific performance criteria as set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 1.2110(f).
Additional information on the tribal land bidding credit, including how the amount of the credit is calculated, can be found on the Commission’s web site by going to Tribal Land Credits.
 

Incumbents

Incumbent SMR systems in the 900 MHz MTA blocks are entitled to co-channel protection by MTA licensees. Among other licensing and technical rules, MTA licensees will be required to afford interference protection to incumbent SMR systems, on a fixed separation basis as provided in Section 90.621. Secondary sites for which applications were filed on or before August 9, 1994, are also afforded complete co-channel protection.
Incumbents may modify or add sites so long as they do not exceed their existing 40 dBu signal strength contour. See 47 C.F.R. § 90.667(a). In fact, incumbent systems are not allowed to expand beyond existing service areas unless they obtain the MTA license for the relevant channels.
Potential bidders seeking licenses for MTAs that border Canada or Mexico are subject to coordination arrangements with those respective countries. See 47 C.F.R. § 90.619.
 

Licensing Rules

  1. Applicants may aggregate 900 MHz SMR spectrum. See 47 C.F.R. § 90.804.
  2. Incumbent licensees are present in the band.
  3. Partitioning and/or disaggregation are permitted.
Releases P

3/2/2004
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 04-578)
900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Spectrum Auction Closes
Winning bidders announced; down payments due March 16, 2004; FCC Forms 601 and 602 due March 16, 2004; final payments due March 30, 2004; ten-day petition to deny period.

1/27/2004
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 04-142)
900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Spectrum Auction; 17 Qualified Bidders
This Public Notice identifies 17 applicants found to be qualified to bid in the upcoming 900 MHz SMR spectrum auction.

1/7/2004
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 04-16)
900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Spectrum Auction
Status of FCC Form 175 applications to participate in the auction.

12/10/2003
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 03-3914)
Auction of 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Licenses Scheduled for February 11, 2004
This Public Notice sets forth a revised list of 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service licenses available for auction in Auction No. 55.

11/12/2003
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 03-3624)
Auction of 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Licenses Scheduled for February 11, 2004
A free FCC pre-auction seminar for the 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Auction is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2003

10/17/2003
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 03-3235)
Auction of 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Licenses Scheduled for February 11, 2004
This Public Notice announces the procedures and minimum opening bids for the up coming auction of licenses in the 900 MHz Specializes Mobile Radio Service.

9/17/2003
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 03-2897)
Auction of 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service Licenses Scheduled for February 11, 2004
Comment sought on reserve prices or minimum opening bids and other auction procedure.

No results here for this auction.

No results here for this auction.

Auction Seminar

This seminar was held on December 3, 2003. You may view the presentations below.
 

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Kathryn Garland, Deputy Chief, Auctions & Spectrum Access Division (ASAD)

Pre-Auction Process
Linda Sanderson, Auctions Marketing Specialist, ASAD
Telephonic Bid Entry Script:
pdf - Word

Panel on Legal and Technical Issues

Overview of 900 MHz SMR Service Rules and Due Diligence
Michael Connelly, Attorney Advisor, Mobility Division
pdf - ppt
Gary Devlin, Electronics Engineer, Mobility Division
pdf - ppt

Overview of Tribal Land Bidding Credit
Michael Connelly, Attorney Advisor, Mobility Division
pdf - ppt

Panel on Application and Payment Procedures

Overview of Auction Rules & Electronic Filing of Form 175
Robert Krinsky, Attorney Advisor, ASAD
pdf - ppt
Lavonia Connelly, Auction Automations Specialist, Spectrum Management Resources & Technologies Division
Seminar 175 Screen Shots:
pdf - Word

Wire Transfer & Payment Process
Kathryn Garland, Deputy Chief, ASAD
ppt

Auctions Bidding Procedures

Overview of Auction Process & FCC Automated Auction System
Roy Knowles, Wireless Telecommunications Analyst, ASAD
pdf - ppt
Seminar Bidding System Screen Shots:
pdf - Word

Education