In a 2,300-word announcement released by the FCC on Tuesday (2/14), the official conclusion to the Spectrum Auction was codified.
Everything ends on March 30, with the bidding in the Assignment Phase of the Forward Auction, a.k.a. “Auction 1002,” set to start on Monday, March 6.
The notice, from the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, instructs bidders who are eligible to participate in the assignment phase to log in to the assignment phase bidding system between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday (2/21) to download their assignment phase bidding options (which correspond to their clock phase winnings), view the sequence and timing for the assignment rounds for all PEAs, and identify the assignment rounds in which they will be eligible to participate.
The very next day — Wed., Feb. 22 — will see one practice auction opportunity come to fruition. This practice auction will continue through Friday, Feb. 24. Bidders will be able to preview assignment phase practice auction data beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 22, and three practice assignment rounds will be conducted that afternoon with bidding for assignments in high-demand PEAs. The second and third days of the practice auction will consist of four practice assignment rounds each day and will include bidding for assignments in non-high-demand PEAs, with bidding conducted for PEAs in up to six REAGs during each round.
