FCC's 2.5 GHz Band Spectrum License Auction is Underway

The FCC is currently conducting Auction 108 – the 2.5 GHz band spectrum license auction. It has been reported that the Commission is selling 8,017 county-sized licenses in this band, also known as the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum. Sasha Javid has reported that, at the end of the third round of auction bidding, nationwide gross proceeds total more than $115.2 million. Some reports have suggested reasons for why the auction proceeds for the 2.5 GHz band will be much lower compared to other recent auctions for mid-band spectrum, including the 3.45 GHz band auction. In any event, repurposing even small swaths of spectrum is important for expanding next-generation wireless services. And there may be no other spectrum available for auction until the next swath of the lower 3 GHz band is readied. The Commission deserves credit for having commenced the 2.5 GHz band auction on schedule.