700MHz auction comes to a $19.6B finish, winners still not revealed

Hear that? Yeah, that's the fat lady -- the 700MHz auction is over today, and the FCC netted $19.6B for the 1,099 licenses it put on the block. It's still not known who placed the winning $4.75B bid for the lucrative open-access 50-state C-block (probably Verizon) but hopefully we'll find out soon. There was a ton of regional action as well: a package of licenses for spectrum in Chicago went for $892.4M, another set for Newark and NYC went for $884.7M, and LA's two sets of 700MHz airwaves cost some lucky punter giant corporation $580.3M and $484M -- and if you'd scraped together $17K, you would be the king of the airwaves in American Samoa. Sadly, no one met the reserve for the public-safety D-block, so it looks like Uncle Sam's going to have to toss it in the back of the van and schlep it the old fashioned way. We doubt we'll know for sure who's got what until the gray suits manage to verify everything and make sure all the rules were followed, but it's still an historic day -- and remember, we've got all the info on what this could mean in the future right here.

Update: The FCC says we'll know who won what within 10 days -- it's just like waiting for Santa, only instead of a fat man giving you presents, it's a vast government bureaucracy giving major corporations thin air!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Demo @ Mar 18th 2008 5:44PM]

Let's just hope for the best now.

[Ray @ Mar 18th 2008 7:21PM]

Well that's one hell of a fat lady if she's singing at 700MHz.
Or a really tiny one.

[Hello @ Mar 18th 2008 7:35PM]

Hope for the best? I can only imagine how they plan on recouping 20,000 Million Dollars.

[Blackstar @ Mar 18th 2008 9:13PM]

I'd love to bid 19.6 billion + one dollar, just to mess with them.

[Fenway Beer Man @ Mar 18th 2008 5:49PM]

Verizon? looks like I'm not getting my free global wi-fi *sigh*

I would love for Google to get into the telecom biz... if only it were that simple.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 18th 2008 7:47PM]

Let's hope Google bid-sniped those profiteering jerks!

[Alexander @ Mar 18th 2008 9:11PM]

The 700MHz spectrum is not going to be used for global wifi. It would make a lousy wifi service. The transmitter would have to be gigantic--at your house as well.

More than likely it will be used to get that 'last mile' communication to areas that have no other communication.

[Jhongerkong @ Mar 18th 2008 5:50PM]

I always lol at the ebay ad.

[MBS @ Mar 18th 2008 5:56PM]

Sweet I won!

[Dan @ Mar 18th 2008 10:06PM]

You would have thought that Verizon could have sprung for faster shipping. Cheap bastards!

[CL @ Mar 18th 2008 5:56PM]

smooth transaction, great ebayer, highly recommended A+++++++++++

[octoberasian @ Mar 18th 2008 6:00PM]

Deadbeat seller. Item paid for, but never delivered. Do not trust this seller!

[WiiFTW @ Mar 18th 2008 6:12PM]

NEGATIVE: Though you did nothing wrong, I am giving you this negative feedback to teach you that the universe is arbitrary and unfair.

Remember this from an article I found on Digg a while ago: http://www.just-whatever.com/2007/07/07/funny-ebay-feedback/

[thethirdmoose @ Mar 18th 2008 8:24PM]

Instead of spectrum, box contained bobcat. Would not buy again.

[derX @ Mar 18th 2008 9:33PM]

WiiFTW, you made my day (ha, just realized what your username was); the hyperlinked site is hilarious.

-------------
However, in the spirit of your comment, I'm going to have to mod you down.

[apeguero @ Mar 18th 2008 6:47PM]

Does the seller accept PayPal?

[Stevie Wonder @ Mar 18th 2008 6:04PM]

Five bucks says it's your mom.

[Killer @ Mar 18th 2008 6:05PM]

Oh please, oh please, let it be a company that plans on making the spectrum as a giant wifi. It doesn't even have to be free. I just want to get out of this damn DirectWay $70 Month shit. The price of living in the country, even though there is cable 2 miles from me and DSL 1 mile from me. I still haven't gotten anything (50th time calling both providers still nothing in over 7 years I have asked( Thanks Comcast and AT&T!)) maybe this time I'll get results instead of the usual "We're planning on getting it to that area in a couple months" and nothing happening. Last time I checked a couple months meant 2 to 3 months not 3 years+. I guess it might in corporation talk though. I just wish this is used for internet service providing.

[Alex Padilla @ Mar 18th 2008 6:07PM]

I'm not sure who I want to win this. I love Google's services, but they're getting too powerful too quick. Sure, it might seem all fine and well now, but like Machiavelli said, "Man's nature is inherently evil." Or something like that.

[Superduperm @ Mar 18th 2008 9:46PM]

I agree. When i boot up my computer and open firefox, the google logo appears a total of 4 times on my screen at once. Twice on Google Desktop (at the top and search bar at the bottom), once on the Google homepage, and once on the Google toolbar.

[WiiFTW @ Mar 18th 2008 6:09PM]

lulz for the 17k needed for the American Samoa. Wonder who got it there?

Go google! Kick verizon's ass!

[Dobber @ Mar 18th 2008 6:15PM]

It will be the biggies (at&t and Verizon) with Cox being a long shot in areas where they need coverage. I can guarantee Google bid up to the reserve and then had a collective 'phew!' the moment they got outbid. Just more spectrum and revenue for the duopoly. They'll let us know when they are ready to raise rates. Move along folks. Nothing to see here...

[ZeroCorpse @ Mar 18th 2008 6:33PM]

So here's a question, and maybe it's a dumb one, but I'm gonna ask it anyway.

With the FCC washing their hands of this spectrum, and it going private, I must wonder: Who will be policing the 700MHz airwaves to prevent pirates from using it?

I mean, when it belonged to the government, it was still being pirated, but the FCC would eventually track them down and put an end to illegal broadcasts. Now that it's in the hands of private companies, how will they combat pirates who grab their bandwidth and use it for other purposes?

What legal recourse do they have?

How much of their company's resources are they willing to put toward an anti-piracy division?

Is the FCC involved with this at all anymore, or do they basically say, "You bought it, you police it." ???

Do I have a shot at setting up a pirate TV station in my town? (Not that i have the equipment or drive to do so-- it's a rhetorical question.)

[DT @ Mar 18th 2008 7:14PM]

I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but here goes...

The government is auctioning off the right to broadcast in that spectrum...they are simply issuing a license to the winning bidder. That doesn't mean the winner can go and do whatever they want with it, they still have to comply with all FCC regulations, and the FCC will indeed police that portion of spectrum, just like they do with the rest of the spectrum, to prevent interference and unlawful use.

[Ellianth @ Mar 18th 2008 7:04PM]

"Update: The FCC says we'll know who won what within 10 days -- it's just like waiting for Santa, only instead of a fat man giving you presents, it's a vast government bureaucracy giving major corporations thin air!"

Nilay you rock!
I love reading your articles, they often give me a good laugh :).
If there was an award for best poster on Engadget you'd probably win.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 18th 2008 7:46PM]

Everybody chant with me!

GOOGLE! GOOGLE! GOOGLE! GOOGLE! GOOGLE! GOOGLE! GOOGLE! ......

(I want out on this crappy bills that frack my budget...)

[Reader @ Mar 18th 2008 9:51PM]

I prefer sacrificing kittens to my Google altar, thank you very much.

[nipples @ Mar 18th 2008 9:23PM]

Why in the hell are they doing this over ebay?

[TheCow5 @ Mar 19th 2008 2:56AM]

engadget should set up a poll so we can all have a try at seeing who won.
I am betting google did not win. I am hoping verizon did not win.
I am betting that Chinese group got it, or I am hoping they did.

[Superduperm @ Mar 18th 2008 9:42PM]

I think i am missing something... How do you ship a freqeuncy? I think they are just trying to make an extra 4 bucks off of this! What a bunch of ripoff artists!

[Isaac @ Mar 18th 2008 11:44PM]

Damnit, verizon is going to C-block us.

[roach @ Mar 18th 2008 11:51PM]

hmmmm my posts were deleted....

[ark_v2 @ Mar 18th 2008 11:52PM]

No! Google, I believe in you (" :( ").
What about some snipping? you never know :)

[Isak? @ Mar 19th 2008 6:22AM]

"Update: The FCC says we'll know who won what within 10 days -- it's just like waiting for Santa, only instead of a fat man giving you presents, it's a vast government bureaucracy giving major corporations thin air!"

Win.

[aaron @ Mar 19th 2008 1:41PM]

So who gets the 19 billion?

[brad016 @ Mar 19th 2008 2:35PM]

"I just dont give a fuck"
- Slim Shady

[Jack Hoyd-Gigg Ng @ Mar 19th 2008 4:49PM]

Go Google!

I guess Microsoft won't have the reserve to bid for this one as they're busying with Yahoo!

[legacydevice @ Mar 19th 2008 6:19PM]

Apple... to provide "unlimited" or perhaps "free" bandwidth for a future product.