Ready, Set...Bid?
Jan 24, 2008
The much anticipated 700 MHz auction opens today, with over 200 approved bidders vying for licenses to the coveted spectrum. Verizon, AT&T and Google are still seen as the top contenders. However, the recent volatility in the stock market has raised doubt that even those companies will meet the steep reserve prices that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set.
According to RCR Wireless News, FCC chairman Kevin Martin acknowledged last week that the timing might not be ideal, telling reporters, "I'm concerned that the overall economic conditions could end up impacting the auction...Is it an ideal time to necessarily to conduct an auction? I'm not sure."
The government has been hoping to net $10 billion to $15 billion from the auction, and reserve prices must be met for the open access conditions to apply. Law professor Susan Crawford, who is on the Tech Policy Summit advisory board, wrote in her blog that she has a "sinking feeling that we won't see much that's newsworthy."
The reality is that everyone will need to wait weeks to find out who's won and what the results mean for open access and the D block that has been set aside for a public safety network.
Tags:
700 MHz, FCC, spectrum auction
This is a great post, thanks for the links.