H Block spectrum auction ends with bids meeting $1.564 billion reserve price

After 167 rounds of bidding conducted over more than a month, the H Block spectrum auction closed yesterday with bids totaling the $1.564 billion reserve price promised by satellite provider Dish Network prior to the start of the auction.

An official FCC announcement identifying the winning bidder for each of the 176 licenses for the 10 MHz of 1.9 GHz spectrum will not be made for several days, according to an FCC spokesman. However, many industry observers believe that Dish Network will be named the winner for all of the spectrum licenses, based on the fact that the final bid total matched the exact amount of money that the satellite provider promised to bid.

Proceeds from H Block auction—scheduled when FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was serving as the agency’s acting chairwoman—will be used to contribute to the funding to support FirstNet, which is responsible for deploying and maintaining a nationwide broadband network for first responders.

“With this successful auction, the commission makes good on its commitment to unleash more spectrum for consumers and businesses, delivering a significant down payment towards funding the nationwide interoperable public safety network,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a prepared statement. “The H Block auction is a win for the American people, and we thank Chairwoman Clyburn for her leadership scheduling it. We also commend everyone who worked so hard to resolve technical issues that made this previously unusable spectrum valuable.”

Clyburn echoed this sentiment.

“The FCC staff deserves special recognition for the successful H Block auction,” Clyburn said in a prepared statement. “They worked diligently through several proceedings to resolve difficult interference issues and enable the use of this spectrum to help meet the nation’s skyrocketing demand for mobile services. I also want to thank Chairman Wheeler for his unwavering support for the timing of the H Block auction.”