WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it has accepted 2,319 applications for the 600 MHz spectrum sold off in the spectrum incentive auction. The applications comprise those licenses sought by 11 out of 50 total bidders and represent the first tranche of applications, according to an FCC spokesman, who said the “more complex bidding credit applications tend to take longer to accept for filing.”
The bidders with applications accepted among this first tranche include the following providers, followed by the number of licenses applied for and the amount each one bid in the forward auction according to the April 6, 2017, bidder summary:
· T-Mobile, with 1,525 license applications ($8 billion);
· ParkerB.com Wireless, Dish Network’s bidding entity, with 486 ($6.2 billion);
· U.S. Cellular, of Chicago, with 188 ($329 million);
· CC Wireless Investment, Comcast’s bidding entity, with 73 ($1.7 billion);
· AT&T Spectrum Holdings, with 23; ($910 million);
· Pine Belt Cellular, an Alabama-based provider, with nine ($1.8 million);
· Docomo Pacific, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan’s NTT DoCoMo., with six ($3 million);
· Plateau Telecommunications with five ($1.4 million);
· LICT Wireless Broadband of Rye, N.Y., a regional and competitive local exchange carrier, with two ($686,000);
· NEIT Services, a Monona, Iowa, phone company, with one ($481,000); and
· Polar Communications Mutual Aid Corp., of Park River, N.D., with one ($62,500).
The commission emphasized that these applications have been accepted but may still be rejected: “The commission may return or dismiss any application if it is found, upon further examination, to be defective or not in conformance with the commission’s rules.”
Petitions to deny the applications must be filed no later than May 30 2017—ten days after the date of today’ Public Notice. Oppositions to those petitions must be filed no later than June 6, 2017, five business days after the filing date for petitions to deny.Replies to oppositions must be filed no later than June 13, 2017, five business days after the filing date for oppositions.All pleadings filed regarding a 600 MHz long-form application should reference the file number of the application.
The license application file numbers can be found on Attachment A of the Public Notice. (Attachment B is the same information, sorted by market.)
