The FCC says the bulk of short-form applications to bid in the upcoming 2.5 GHz auction of flexible-use licenses are deficient. The agency will give the companies time to correct their paperwork.
Thirty-nine applications are complete and have been accepted. Some of these entities include AT&T, Carolina West Wireless, Pine Belt Cellular, T-Mobile, and UScellular. These entities will become qualified bidders once they’ve submitted an upfront payment. That deadline is 6 p.m. on June 23.
Under the Commission’s two-phased auction application process, a winning bidder must submit a longform application after the close of the auction to demonstrate its qualifications to hold a Commission license and, if a bidding credit is requested, its eligibility for the bidding credit. In the event that an applicant is found unqualified to be a Commission licensee, or ineligible for claimed designated entity benefits, it will be liable for any obligations incurred as a result of its participation in the auction.
54 applications, however, are considered incomplete. This group includes companies such as 5G Alliance Utah, Evolve 5G Consortium, Michigan Wireless, New Source Broadband and Northwest Open Access Network. All 54 will receive letters pointing out what needs to be corrected. Each company must resubmit its corrected application and also make the upfront payment to the U.S. Treasury by the deadline.
“This will be the only opportunity to cure application defects, and late resubmissions will not be accepted,” says the Commission. If the resubmitted application is not corrected or an applicant misses the upfront payment deadline, that entity won’t be allowed to bid in the auction. Bidding is set to begin on July 29.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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