FCC Airwaves Auction Fails Again to Draw Enough Bids

The US government’s massive airwaves auction again failed to move forward Dec 5 after a single two-hour round of bidding didn’t generate enough demand. The complex process will now move into its fourth stage with another cut to the supply of available licenses, and the auction which kicked off in May likely won’t conclude until 2017. This is the third time the FCC hasn’t drawn enough interest from cellphone operators like AT&T, Verizon Communications, and Comcast in buying the licenses for airwaves now used by television broadcasters. FCC officials have said the auction is designed to run multiple rounds. The FCC will now go back to television broadcasters for a fourth time, cutting the number of licenses it will buy from stations while also likely reducing the price the agency pays for those it does acquire.