Bidding was scheduled to begin Thursday (Dec. 9) in the assignment phase of the FCC's 3.45 GHz auction.
The clock phase, where companies bid for contiguous spectrum blocks, ended last month, grossing $21,888,007,794--before bidding credits are factored in, which will slightly lower that total--the FCC provided a $25 million bidding credit for small businesses and a $10 million credit for rural providers.
In the assignment phase, winning bidders who wish to can bid--online or by phone--for specific frequencies. Those who choose not to participate in the follow-on assignment auction still get contiguous frequencies that correspond to the number of blocks they won.
Last March, the FCC voted to allocate the 3.45-3.55 GHz band for flexible use, complete the relocation of secondary non-federal commercial users, and sunset amateur use of a portion of the band.
The winning bidders are still in a quiet period, so can't identify themselves or talk about whether or not they are bidding in the assignment phase. ■
