FCC Announces Winning Bidders In 3.45 GHz Auction

The Federal Communications Commission announced winning bidders from its 5G spectrum auction of flexible-use licenses in the 3.45 GHz band. The winning bidder information is available in the Public Notice released by the FCC. Gross proceeds for the auction exceeded $22.5 billion. This successfully surpasses that law’s requirement that Auction 110 cover at least 110 percent of the expected sharing and relocation costs for federal users currently operating in the band—in this case $14,775,354,330, based on a January 14, 2021, estimate from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The 3.45 GHz auction closed as one of the highest-grossing auctions in the FCC’s history. In addition, thirteen of the twenty-three companies with winning bids in Auction 110 qualified as small businesses or as entities serving rural communities. This successful auction will enable robust commercial use by an array of service providers, while also ensuring that federal incumbents are still protected from harmful interference where and when they require continued access to the band.