On February 27, 2019, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (“WTB”) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (“OEA”) released a Public Notice (“Notice”) identifying 38 applicants as qualified bidders in Auction 102. Auction 102 will offer 2,909 UMFUS licenses in the 24.25-24.45 and 24.75-25.25 GHz (“24 GHz)’ band. The Notice includes bidding instructions and important information, and addresses continuing obligations and auction procedures, and therefore we suggest you review the Notice carefully if you are participating in the auction. As a reminder, bidding in the clock phase of Auction 102 is scheduled to begin on March 14, 2019.
The Notice lists 38 qualified bidders and 22 non-qualified applicants in Attachment A and Attachment B, respectively. All qualified bidders are automatically registered for the auction – registration materials will be sent by overnight delivery to the contact person listed on the Form 175. Any qualified bidder that does not receive the registration mailing by 12:00 noon ET on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 must contact the Auctions Hotline. The Notice provides detailed information and instructions on using the auction tokens and accessing the system.
The Auction 102 Clock Phase Bidding System User Guide is now available under the “Education” section of the Auction 102 website. The Clock Phase Mock Auction will take place on Monday, March 11, 2019 – all qualified bidders are eligible and encouraged to participate.
Bidding Schedule
The bidding for Auction 102 in the clock phase will begin Thursday, March 14, 2019 with the following bidding rounds:
Bidding Round: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Bidding Round: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET
The Bidding schedule starting on Friday, March 15, 2019 and continuing each business day until further notice will be:
Bidding Round: 10:00 am – 11:00 am ET Bidding Round: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET Bidding Round: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET
The minimum opening bids available in Auction 102 are listed on the Auction 102 website. Clock prices for subsequent bidding rounds will be set by adding a fixed percentage to the previous round’s price at an increment of between five and fifteen percent, with the initial increment set at ten percent. The increments may be changed during the auction on a PEA-by-PEA or category-by-category basis based on bidding activity. Round results will be available approximately 15 minutes after the close of each rounds.
Applicants remain obligated to ensure the accuracy of the information listed in the Form 175. With the release of this Notice, the auction application system becomes available for applicants to electronically make minor, permissible changes to their applications, or other changes in order to maintain the accuracy and completeness of the application. The Notice also reminds applicants that certain communications regarding Auction 101 and/or Auction 102 remain prohibited.
Please contact us if you have any questions.