The Federal Communications Commission is now seeking comment on its H Block spectrum auction plans.
The FCC adopted a provisional set of draft rules for the auction last month, which spell out interference and power limitations for the spectrum at hand. The rules apply to the PCS H Block, which is a paired 10MHz block in the 1915-1920MHz (uplink) and 1995-2000MHz (downlink) bands. The H Block is part of a 65MHz chunk identified by Congress as ideal for mobile broadband use. It is one of the only swaths of airwaves that is paired and is not already used by the government, but it abuts spectrum owned by Dish Networks. The FCC expects competition for the spectrum to be high. The spectrum will be licensed, in part, based on economic areas around the country.
The FCC is expected to more formally adopt rules for the auction later this year after receiving comments from industry players. The FCC also set the target date for the start of the auction, know as Auction 96, for January 14, 2014.
