FCC Announces Conclusion of Bidding in First Phase of Mid-Band Spectrum Auction

The Federal Communications Commission announced the conclusion of bidding in the first phase of Auction 110, an auction of licenses in the 3.45 to 3.55 GHz band. In the clock phase, bidders won 4,041 of the 4,060 available generic blocks, and gross proceeds in the clock phase reached over $21.8 billion, which places Auction 110 among the highest-grossing auctions in FCC history. The gross proceeds during the clock phase of the auction surpassed the congressionally mandated reserve price in which 110 percent of the expected sharing and relocation costs for federal users currently operating in the band must be covered by auction proceeds. Auction 110 makes available 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum for commercial use across the contiguous United States. The spectrum licenses are divided into ten 10-megahertz blocks licensed by geographic areas known as Partial Economic Areas (PEAs).  License winners will operate within a cooperative sharing framework that will enable commercial use by an array of service providers, while also ensuring coexistence with federal incumbents where and when they require continued access to the band. Winning bidders will now have the opportunity to bid for frequency-specific licenses in the assignment phase of Auction 110. The FCC will release a public notice soon announcing further details regarding the assignment phase, including the date and time when bidding in the assignment phase will commence.