FCC Statements on Auction 997
January 29, 2015
- Wheeler: Today we closed bidding Auction 97 -- by far the highest-earning spectrum auction the United States has ever seen. But it was much more than that. This auction also marked a new era in spectrum policy, where a collaborative and unprecedented effort resulted in new commercial access to federal spectrum bands. A bipartisan group of leaders in Congress, federal agencies -- especially NTIA and DoD -- the White House, industry, and the team at the FCC all came together to help meet the Nation’s demand for wireless broadband. Improving consumer access to wireless broadband is a priority of mine, and has been a priority of the Commission over the past five years. Now, an additional 65 megahertz of spectrum is available to improve wireless connectivity across the country and accelerate the mobile revolution that is driving economic growth and improving the lives of the American people. The results of this auction confirm the strong market demand for more spectrum. We are confident there will continue to be strong demand for valuable low-band spectrum that will be made available in the Incentive Auction early next year.
- Clyburn: If you had conducted a poll of analysts before the start of the AWS-3 auction, the highest prediction given for its yield would not have exceeded $18 billion. Seventy-seven days and a record setting $44.89 billion later, Auction 97 has shown that demand for this spectrum was phenomenal. Some experts opine that the winning bid total is due in large part to bidding and other competitive strategies unique to this band. I believe one of the key factors for this unanticipated level of activity is that the AWS-3 bands are near the AWS-1 bands and there are already base stations and other equipment available. Once the FCC makes the bidding activity public, I suspect there will be many more stories about the results of this auction. Nevertheless, what we can all agree on is that the auction’s success would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staff, who worked in cooperation with NTIA, DoD and other federal agencies to substantially reduce the protection zones of federal operations in the 1755 and 1780 MHz band. I also want to commend Chairman Wheeler for developing a band plan with smaller license blocks and geographic license areas, and crafting a strong interoperability mandate to encourage robust participation by both small and large entities.
- Pai: The AWS-3 auction has been a historic success, raising almost $45 billion in provisionally winning bids. This is great news for several reasons. The auction will help us fund the national priorities identified by Congress, including deficit reduction, the advancement of wireless public safety communications, the deployment of NG911, and FirstNet. It will help the wireless industry meet exploding consumer demand. And it will broaden the American platform for wireless innovation, already the world’s envy. We can already draw a few lessons from the AWS-3 auction, beyond the obvious fact there is intense demand for mid-band spectrum. The most important is that the way the FCC structures an auction matters. In AWS-3, we made the rules as simple as possible. We maintained open eligibility. And we auctioned off spectrum that was internationally harmonized for commercial use. These decisions yielded robust competition and helped maximize revenues. I hope we take a similar approach in future auctions.
- O’Rielly: The conclusion of today’s AWS-3 auction reemphasizes that licensed spectrum is valued more highly than ever in the marketplace. Credit needs to be given to Congress, especially Chairmen Upton and Walden, for its leadership in setting forth the directives that allowed for such a successful outcome. I’m excited to see this spectrum put to good use by winning bidders, transforming our current wireless broadband networks for the benefit of American consumers.
- Rosenworcel: Today’s conclusion of the AWS-3 auction demonstrates the extraordinary value of the airwaves all around us. Putting spectrum like this into the marketplace not only expands the possibilities for wireless services, it strengthens the new digital economy. In addition, the results of this auction will pave the way for improved public safety services, bringing new connectivity to our Nation’s first responders. Kudos to those in both the public and private sector who worked to make this auction such a success.
FCC Statements on Auction 997 Statement (Commissioner Clyburn) Statement (Commissioner Pai) Statement (Commissioner O’Rielly) Statement (Commissioner Rosenworcel)