What To Expect When The 700MHz Auction Rolls Around

It’s January 1st, and we’re creeping ever closer to the day of the 700MHz spectrum auction, a so far widely publicized event to be orchestrated by the FCC. Some 260 or so applicants have submitted their names as participants in the process, including Google, AT&T, Qualcomm, and Alltel. Even Chevron is on the roster.

We mention this contest once more here at Profy for the fact that Forbes, a highly-regarded publication with a primarily business-centric focus, recently put forth an article detailing what one can expect to come of the auction – most especially summarizing just how it the process will likely be handled.

If your assumption is that January 24th will be the day the portions of the 700MHz band will be divvied up to their respective “winners,” you should understand that, in similar past instances, deliberations over the particulars of such an auction (nothing is so simple in cases like this) are time-consuming, and because the FCC typically makes arrangements to hold a small number of bidding rounds within a set amount of time, the entire process can take up to one month to complete.

A 30-day stretch is more an extreme example of what can be possible. Much of course depends on the number of bidders active. Since many dozen are slated to partake in the 700MHz auction, it’s more or less safe to assume that the FCC will conclude all things scheduled sometime prior to the middle of February. Yes, this of course may mean that the news of Google’s success (or failure) to nab the 22MHz “C” block it so desires may not reach the presses by the end of this month. We nonetheless hope to hear sooner rather than later Mountain View’s fate on the matter.