FCC completes forward auction with bids of USD 19.6 bln

(Telecompaper) The FCC announced completion of its forward auction of broadcast airwaves for mobile services. The final bids for 70 MHz of licensed spectrum totaled USD 19.6 billion, much less than originally expected. This could still rise slightly in the final round where operators can bid for specific blocks of frequencies. Over half the proceeds from the auction will go to broadcasters that agreed to give up spectrum in the 600 MHz band, and the remainder goes to the US government. The trans