FCC Kicks Off First Spectrum Auction in Four Years

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr welcomed the start of the first FCC spectrum auction in four years. The AWS-3 auction will offer 200 5G-grade spectrum licenses that laid fallow for more than a decade. The license areas included in this auction are home to over 100 million consumers across 48 states, two US territories, and the Gulf of America. They include major markets like New York, Chicago, Boston, Tampa, and Charlotte. Bidding in the AWS-3 auction, formally designated as Auction 113, began the morning of June 2. "Spectrum auctions are the lifeblood of licensed wireless service, and it has been far too long since the FCC has run an auction," said Chairman Carr. "Today, we are kicking off a vitally important auction to pump more spectrum into the marketplace."