FCC releases 700MHz auction details, Verizon, AT&T big winners
By Chris Ziegler 
posted March 20th 2008 3:08PM
posted March 20th 2008 3:08PM
Other winners include Qualcomm, which won bits and pieces of the B and E Blocks -- more MediaFLO spectrum, perhaps? -- and Frontier Wireless, scoring the overwhelming majority of the low-bandwidth E Block. Frontier is in cahoots with Echostar, though it's not clear how (or if) the new spectrum would augment its satellite TV service.
Left out in the cold was the D Block, a wireless range which the FCC had required to be used in partnership with public safety groups; it failed to meet its minimum reserve price of $1.33 billion, which means that a new Auction 76 will be automatically spawned for bidders to have another go at it. Follow the break for the big winners, broken down by block.
| Block | Big winner | Total spent (approximate, across all blocks) |
|---|---|---|
| A |
No clear winner | |
| B |
AT&T | $6,636,658,000 |
| C |
Verizon Wireless | $9,363,160,000 |
| D |
Qualcomm | $472,042,000 (did not meet reserve) |
| E |
Frontier Wireless | $711,871,000 |
Ummmm...Econ.
I think you need to go back to physics. 700MHz is a wavelength. Not a data determinate. Based on the frequency table. Also please, oh please tell me why and how, if 700MHz is so powerless, did they push all that video content through it? Also why do the experts have the same idea, in which I said. I guess Microsoft, Intel, Google, AT&T, Verizon, etc, just don't know what they are talking about. Maybe you should HATE yourself for saying stupid things that "There's enough stupidity out there already."
Ummm- 700MHz (MegaHertz) is a frequency...millions of cycles per second. Not a wavelength (42.8cm wavelength for 700MHz light).
Let investigations into the FCC auction begin!
you guys are idiots. Our phone bills are WAY cheaper than european and asian counterparts and we get WAY WAY more for our buck.
unlimited voice and data out there for 99 bux.
that iphone plan is 60 dollars for plenty of minutes and unlimited data. people pay by the meg in europe.
Some of you fatties need to go out and get jobs, then it wouldn't be so hard to pay your phone bills.
I go to Europe and see everyone punching out text messages on their nokias and you're telling me WE are behind? WE don't have to be afraid of our minutes or data plans raping us. The CONSUMER is king in America.
also, i understand this is a tech blog but seriously, you guys would felate google if it had a rod. Google is just another corporation just like AT&T and Verizon (who your mommy and daddy probably work for and pay for your whiny education).
they aren't any less evil. The second you have to start paying for services rendered by google, you'll whining about them too.
As evil as you guys deem these two companies, you wouldn't be googling ANYTHING if it were not for the THOUSANDS of patents and advancements put forth by bell labs and other developments made by these companies.
The real evil out there is the notion on this board that everything should be virtually free.
The bad thing about Google is that it's free because all it does is advertise. It made me feel a little queasy to think that Google would buy part of the 700mhz band and give away a free device with ads all over the damn thing. Can you imagine? In order to check your voice mail you'd have to listen to an add for Gatorade or something. Soon they're going to have like 10 second commercials before the videos you watch on YouTube. Not sure when that's happening, but Google's supporting America's addiction to branding and conformity on a mass scale. Scary stuff when you learn how deceiving advertising really is, and how it coaxes the ignorant masses to buy inferior products.
why the hell didnt google use the buyitnow option!?>!?
Here's an interesting thought,
It would be cool that when the auction happens up north here in Canada that we the people (of Canada) pooled together and bought that 700MHz band. Though I guess it wouldn't be very practical sharing it between about 33,390,141 people. Still a interesting thought though.
Google, Microsoft, Apple, Dell, HP, et all should be bitch slapped for letting this happen. The combined assets of even just those companies above in a consortium could have revolutionized the US....mark my words Verizon is going to close this resource down as far as they are allowed to. compare that to an open network nation wide....god...this country just got fucked on a scale that can't be measured.
terrific, about the two worst companies to win it....
i bed apple has something to do with at&t winning it though...
What frequency is TV carried on?
F#$%! Verizon is the company that considers "unlimited" 5GB! They are the company that is routinely buying up the competition, and raising prices. Twenty cents per text message, are you f#$%ing kidding? Fourty nine cents for each MB per month over 5GB with an EVDO card? WTF.
Does anyone honestly think that Verizon or AT&T will do anything positive for the consumer? If the two largest telcos own most of the spectrum, they can charge whatever they want, since there is little to no competition.
@ Will Wheeler
Europe and Asian carriers have GB/MB limits with overage costs.
Previously people on this website complained about the 5GB limit and thier service being off for exceeding the limit; now you complain that it costs more?? What do you like about EVDO? How does EVDO enhance your life? Do you find value in it? How do you use it? Are you streaming video or downloading music? If you are, enjoy it but expect to pay for what you use. The best part is, if you don't like the cost to value tradeoff take your money elsewhere and enjoy whatever you buy.
This isn't PONDEROSA - don't expect to take 10 trips to the buffet and have an ice cream sundae too. Instead you are taking a beautiful woman out to eat. First you start with a tasty and romantic meal. Next you take her out to have a cup of coffee. Afterwards, you have a nice treat perhaps ice cream. At the end of the night, you've paid for that great cup of Starbucks, that Latte or Mocha and that nice peice of Atlantic Salmon. Bottom line, you get what you've paid for.
Wouldn't you agree that some women demand a little more out of a date?
Does the price include Free Shipping?
@asdfasdf:
It's not so much the people who run the Fed that are the problem as it is the Federal Reserve itself. And stating the fact that they're appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate isn't exactly the best argument here (do you know who the current US President is?)The Fed not only makes its own rules and regulations but is a system where our currency is backed by nothing. (It's value determined by the amount in circulation) They practice something called Fractional Banking and are making a crazy amount of profit off interest. Why do you think we go to war? (War=More Printing and Loaning to our Gov.=$$$$$$ in interest to the Fed) It is ultimately unconstitutional and downright debauched. kthx
Thank you FCC, thank you. Your wisdom and auction rules have allowed for greater competition - hold on. No they haven't. By some odd turn of events the rules allowed Verizon and AT&T to pick up an overwhelming majority of the spectrum, stop the creation of a third national competitor, and allow the public safety network to go unbuilt. Funny, but the phone companies always manage to come out ahead.
I'm shocked, its obvious the D block should be held for national emergency services, communication is vital during crisis moments! Why can't we have a bidding contract to provide those devices and services for all of the emergency services personnel. Make it work folks!
I'm shocked, its obvious the D block should be held for national emergency services, communication is vital during crisis moments! Why can't we have a bidding contract to provide those devices and services for all of the emergency services personnel. Make it work folks!
You like PRo-Sports, stuff like being able to hear the referees?
OR cameramen being able to communicate or filmingmovies, B'way plays and the tens of thousands of smaller users like bands, hotels, etc who are totally hosed and stuck with EXPENSIVE ($3000 plus per unit) RF gear that the FCC just made illegal and in most cities, soon to be unusable!
This is exactly what audio pros were fearing
Companies like Sennheiser USA, Shure, etc managed to delay this especially when most of the bidder's equipment submitted for the non-interference tests failed.
This is just more of corporate America buying off public domain from short sighted, inept Gov't
The needs of Verizon, AT&T, Verizon etc and their lobbyists beat science and the REAL public interest anyday!
A lot of folks here are saying we got screwed. We did, by the Feds! This is just a giant tax! Verizon and AT&T paid the tax and now must pass it on to consumers. The spectrum should have been divided up for free the way it used to be. How much do you think ABC, NBC and CBS paid for it in the 50's?
Good grief, there's yet another non-sense frequency to add to the list of specialities the Americas like to call their own.
Just don't complain when European & Japanese cell manufacturers refrain from adding this frequency into their devices and you're stuck with the "leftover" devices.
Sorry, but we're all just going a bit weird here - US & AUS rock up with 850Mhz HSDPA, then comes SingTel and T-Mobile and wanna put up a 900Mhz HSDPA network - Japan decides to use 1700Mhz as uplink and T-Mobile USA want to use 1900Mhz HSDPA as downlink.
In the meantime the rest of the world, with exception to the Americas, is happy continuing on with 2100Mhz.
I do understand that 700Mhz is penetrating and has a further reach to 850Mhz or higher frequencies, but for crying out loud, why is everyone starting to do their own thing.
Why can't UMTS or its future evolution be truly a "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System" and enforce one standardised frequency (preferably 850Mhz) across the world??? Countries and their own stupid agendas, how annoying!!!