Verizon Lambastes Dish's Use of Designated Entities

Verizon met with staff in the FCC Wireless Bureau Wednesday to discuss Dish Network’s use of designated entities (DEs) in the AWS-3 auction, the telco said in an ex parte notice filed Friday in docket 14-170. Dish and its DEs submitted “two or three bids for the same amount on the same licenses in the same round,” Verizon said. This bidding pattern goes beyond typical bidding agreements or consortia, it said. It allowed Dish to leave the auction once bidding reached a certain level and be replaced by its DEs, Verizon said. This raises questions as to whether the DE owners had control or if “the bidding was centrally coordinated and controlled” by Dish, it said. This type of bidding may have reduced competition, it said. The DE program increases auction revenue and mobile broadband competition, Dish said in a recent ex parte notice posted Monday. Dish didn’t comment. The DEs in question couldn't be reached for comment.