Spectrum Auction – Just One Bid

After 7 days of bidding in an FCC spectrum auction, the D Block allocated for a nationwide, public-private public safety network has just one bidder, who has not met the Commission’s minimum selling price of $1.3 billion. The single bid seems to indicate the unwillingness of companies to tackle the complexities of creating a public safety network–or it could simply be a bidding strategy. All bids are anonymous until the auction is over, so it’s no clear which company or group has placed the $472 million bid, well under the $1.3. billion minimum. The bid has generated speculation: perhaps the bidders are under-bidding, hoping that the FCC will eventually lower the minimum bid or change other bidding conditions when the spectrum doesn’t sell. The C Block designated for an open nationwide consumer network has received a $4.71 billion bid, just over the FCC ‘s minimum price.