A total of 168 applicants have been qualified to bid in the upcoming FCC auction for Advanced Wireless Services licenses in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands (AWS-1). The auction is slated to begin on Wednesday, August 9, 2006.
The list of qualified bidders is posted on the FCC website.
http://www.fcc.gov
- In August 2005, the FCC modified the band plan, and licensing and service rules – originally adopted in October 2003 – for the 90 MHz of Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum at 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz.
The original band plan for this spectrum adopted by the FCC in October 2003 included a mixture of license sizes and geographic areas in order to accommodate the needs of wireless providers of various sizes serving a range of different geographic areas. The new order maintains such a mixture but increases the amount of spectrum licensed on a small geographic area basis (Cellular Market Areas, or CMAs) from 10 MHz to 20 MHz in order to provide greater opportunities for smaller rural or regional providers to obtain access to this spectrum at auction. The Order also provides for an additional 10 MHz of spectrum licensed by Economic Areas (EAs).