700 MHz auction tempo remains steady: Focus continues to shift to lower-priced licenses

It appears bidders were not frightened off by passing the 200-round milestone in the Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz spectrum auction as new bids continue to trickle in at a slow but steady rate. New bids fluctuated between four and six for each of the past 10 rounds, a rate that has remained steady since round 189.
And the FCC appears happy with that number since it has not increased the number of bidding rounds per day or moved beyond the current “stage three” bidding rules it’s operating under.
The past 10 rounds of bidding focused on B-Block licenses and the occasional bid for the E-Block license covering American Samoa. The most recent B-Block interest has centered on licenses covering Crawford, Pa.; Putnam, Fla.; and Amelia, Va. The Amelia license was the most expensive license to receive a bid during round 219 at $217,000.
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Overall, most of the event’s new bids have been placed on licenses valued at less than $100,000, and thus the new money being added to the auction’s bottom line has been around $20,000 per round. After round 219 the 700 MHz auction’s total potential winning bids stood at just over $19.591 billion.
The FCC said it will release the names of winning bidders following the close of the auction.