Pai May Force Votes on 12 GHz, Sealed-Bid 2.5 GHz Auction Plans

Chairman Ajit Pai may force votes on two spectrum items circulated last month (see 2012290032): a “neutral” 12 GHz NPRM and proposed 2.5 GHz auction rules, said industry and FCC officials. Pai is considering putting them on the agenda Wednesday for the following week’s meeting if he needs to assure a vote, officials said.

The 12 GHz NPRM draws no tentative conclusions, making it difficult to object to it, officials said. The 2.5 GHz notice proposes a single-round, sealed-bid auction design rather than the more traditional simultaneous multiple round (SMR) auction format. Democrats will ultimately control the FCC when final decisions are made, which could partially assuage concerns from Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, officials said.

CTIA and T-Mobile called for an SMR format for a 2.5 GHz auction, in filings in docket 18-120 (see here and here). T-Mobile is expected to dominate the auction, adding to 2.5 GHz holdings it’s using to build out 5G (see 2009180029). “Because an SMR auction will allow participants to evaluate the unique licensing structure of the 2.5 GHz band and gather feedback during multiple rounds of bidding, it will better enable auction participants to make informed bidding decisions and respond to the multitude of factors that go into selecting particular blocks in a given market,” T-Mobile said in November.

Wireless ISP Association representatives spoke with a Pai aide last week urging a sealed-bid auction design. “Much of the unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum overlaps or is near areas where small providers, such as WISPs, already offer service in other bands, allowing the 2.5 GHz band to be used to complement those spectrum holdings or enable expansion into nearby areas,” Louis Peraertz, vice president-policy, said now. “WISPA strongly urges the commission to propose a single-round, sealed-bid auction format to account for the unique characteristics of the band, the spectral and geographic encumbrances that will vary from county to county, and the business models of smaller bidders.”

The 12 GHz proceeding has been more active than 2.5 GHz in recent weeks.

Incompas welcomes discussion on 12 GHz. “We need an all-of-the-above strategy for creating more broadband competition and faster deployment of 5G," CEO Chip Pickering said Tuesday. “This neutral approach to an NPRM is a fair way to kick start the 12 GHz conversation, getting every argument out in the open.”

“Our public interest coalition supports moving ahead with a NPRM that proposes to make changes that lead to more intensive terrestrial use of this contiguous 500 MHz, but which is neutral about exactly how,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “A NPRM is the best approach, since it’s clear the band is very underutilized and some greater degree of sharing is possible, and the sooner the better. The commission needs to build a record, since it’s unclear at this point if and how various services can coexist.”