Memo: Auction 105 & Part 96 Transition – 3.5 GHz
October 8, 2019
FCC Seeks Comment on Bidding Procedures for 3.5 GHz Auction 105.
Comment Date: October 28, 2019
Reply Comment Date: November 12, 2019
On September 26, 2019, the FCC adopted the public notice seeking comment on proposed competitive bidding procedures for the auction of the Priority Access Licenses (PALs) within the 3550-3650 MHz portion of the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band, as part of the shared use scheme under the FCC’s Part 96 rules. The auction will offer seven PALs in each license area (presently, Counties), for a total of 22,631 PALs nationwide. Up to four PALs may be held by a licensee in each license area. Each license will consist of a 10-megahertz unpaired channel within the band, which is flexible-use mid-band spectrum.
Designated as Auction 105, the public notice requests comment on the proposed application and bidding procedures. This includes:
- Utilization of an ascending clock auction
- County and Cellular Market Area (CMA) bid opportunities
- “Activity upper limit” bid eligibility
- Bidding cap credits for small business and rural service providers
Memo: Auction 105 & Part 96 Transition – 3.5 GHz
Additional Information
VPS is prepared to answer any general questions you may have. Please contact any VPS staff below for more information to assist you.
Transition from Part 90 operations to new Part 96:
Brian Bell, PE at 605-995-1767
Auction 105 – VPS will be prepared to offer full auction assistance as with past wireless auctions (planning, short forms, bidding, long forms):
Doug Eidahl, JD at 605-995-1750
Kristy Szabo at 605-995-1786
