With previous anonymous bids (the FCC is keeping bids secret until end of auction) on the coveted 700Mhz “C” block hovering below the $4.6 billion reserve price required to ensure “open access” rules are enacted, we were starting to get a little nervous about giants like AT&T or Verizon Wireless snatching up the spectrum and keeping it locked down. Well, it looks like our fears have been assuaged with the announcement that the FCC has received a bid of $4.7 billion for the “C” block of the 700Mhz spectrum.
The current bid has the potential to see it through to the end of the auction, netting the anonymous bidder (Google, perhaps?) a sweet slice of the 700Mhz pie. Seeing as how the next round of bidding (Round 18) will open with a minimum bid of $5.3 billion, it’s not hard to imagine that the $4.7 billion bid will take the trophy – we’re thinking that could very well be Google.
Google previously pledged to put up a bid to meet the $4.6 billion reserve price on the “C” block, which triggered the “open access” rules in effect. The “rules” will give the company’s Android platform a suitable playground in which to play. But, seeing as how all bidding is anonymous, we can’t verify that Google is responsible for this highest-bid.
In either case, open access is here, baby! Bring on the 700Mhz “C” block!
[Via: RCRNews]
Hilarious pic from Engadget Mobile