WASHINGTON-Approved applicants for the upcoming local multipoint distribution service auction, scheduled to begin Feb. 18, are readying wire transfers for their upfront payments, due by 6 p.m. today. At press time, 145 applications had been accepted for filing, 55 were returned for fine-tuning and 10 were dismissed altogether.
The auction, which was postponed from a December start date, will put 986 licenses in the 28 GHz and 31 GHz bands on the auction block. Two licenses will be allotted in each of 493 basic trading areas and BTA-like U.S. areas. One A-block license will authorize 1,150 megahertz in both bands; and the second license in Block B will authorize service on 150 megahertz in the 31 GHz band.
Winners of LMDS licenses will be able to provide any of several services that will compete against existing voice and video offerings: video programming distribution; videoconferencing; wireless local loop; and high-speed data transmission, including Internet access.
As in other auctions, small players will be given bidding credits of 25 percent, 35 percent and 45 percent, depending on gross revenues. Minimum bids already have been determined for each market, and each applicant was made aware of them prior to the Jan. 20 Form 175 filing date. There will be no installment payments.
