Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

FCC Chairman over a conference call mentioned that 700MHz Spectrum with open access bids totaling 19.6 Billion Dollars, higher than all all the auctions that it held in last 15 years. Chairman Kevin Martin said the 700MHz auction was the most successful auction the agency has ever conducted, raising more money than all previous auctions put together, excluding the Advanced Wireless Services auction in 2006.
Main focus in this auction was the clause Open Access on the C Block. The open-access requirement is significant because today, U.S. wireless operators like Verizon(most restrictive) have tight control over which devices can be used on their networks and which applications can be used on those handsets. Google and other companies, such as Skype, have complained that this is too restrictive. It is also the reason that Google entered into bidding. The C block have garnered a 4.75 Billion bid (Google said it will bid up to 4.6Billion) but But the D block, set aside to build a nationwide public-safety network, did not meet its reserve price, it only received 472 million offer and never reached the 1.3 Billion Price.
FCC Plans to hold another auction for the D block in the near future.
The identities of the auction bidders are still a secret. To prevent anti-competitive behavior, the FCC kept the bidding anonymous. Martin said the names of the auction winners would not be revealed until the commission voted on separating the D block from the rest of the auction. Since the FCC won’t be able to get this item on its agenda for at least three weeks, the names of the winners won’t likely be revealed until April.
Read a complete report at News.com

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Spectrum auction is almost over and according to an article on Forbes, Google might be out of the wireless tangle, after having achieved what it wanted, an "Open" Broadband network.
The bids are kept under seal but the analysts who knows the market and the players have already marked out the winners and players and who ever trail the auctions.
On Google’s side of the auction involvement was viewed as ;
"Analysts speculated that Google likely bid $4.6 billion for the C block. Under FCC rules, a $4.6 billion bid would ensure the creation of a broadband network "open" to any devices or application. Industry watchers speculated that Google, which lobbied the FCC to adopt open access rules for the auction, was participating in the auction out of a sense of duty rather than a desire to win."
Whatever the case, we really need to thank Google for the "Open" wireless spectrum for it’s work on the issue. Verizon took FCC to court over the same issue, trying to prevent an "Open" network.
So all these big players did not dance towards the "open" spectrum but more like dragged towards it.
There are two blocks that still have not come near the target bids are D and E blocks. The FCC wants the D block to be used as a combined commercial and public safety communications network. Experts say the challenges of building out such a network has scared bidders away. If the $1.3 billion reserve price isn’t met, it will probably be auctioned again. But I think they are not interested because there is no money in the public work!
E block is a one way only network according the article (?) and wonders if anyone will be interested in bidding on it!.
In any case I am glad that FCC chose the "open" to be a valuable part in these last bit of unused spectrum.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

The FCC’s Wireless Spectrum auction so far has gathered a sum of 18.55 Billion up to yesterday. This is up from $15.64 at the close of Thursday. Following is the Reuters report.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Bidding reached $18.55 billion on Friday in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s record-setting auction of government-owned wireless airwaves, but there were no new offers for two large, closely watched slices of spectrum.

The total bidding, which covers five separate blocks of spectrum in the auction, was up from $15.64 billion on Thursday.

There were no new bids on a major slice of the airwaves, known as the "C" block, which will have to be made accessible using any device or software application, under FCC rules. A bid of $4.71 billion, made on Thursday morning remained the top offer.

Nor were there any new bids Friday on a nationwide piece of the spectrum, known as the "D" block, which must be shared with public safety agencies under auction rules set by the agency. A bid of $472 million from last week still stood.