Mapping the Mobility Fund Phase I Auction

The Federal Communications Commission is rolling out new mapping tools for the upcoming auction of Mobility Fund Phase I universal service support.

The electronic application to participate in this auction displays maps, based on certain information entered in the application, of areas eligible for Mobility Fund Phase I support. Applicants will be able to filter their selections, distinguish between Tribal and non-Tribal areas, and view eligible areas in geographic detail. Another new use of mapping in the auction process will be implemented in the bidding portion of the FCC Auction System. In the Mobility Fund Phase I auction, bidders will place bids for support on discrete areas know as census blocks (the same unit of measure the US Census Bureau uses for counting people). In this particular auction, the bidders know the full list of the blocks eligible for bidding. The FCC Auction System’s new mapping features allow bidders to visualize their bidding options.