Frontline seeks brief delay on filing deadlines for 700 MHz auction

Frontline Wireless L.L.C. asked the Federal Communications Commission to briefly delay 700 MHz short-form application and upfront payment deadlines, pointing to new domestic and international wireless policy developments that have a bearing on the upcoming auction.
The deadlines for filing short-form applications and submitting upfront payment are Dec. 3 and Dec. 28, respectively. Frontline wants each deadline extended by a week, with new deadlines of Dec. 10 and Jan. 4. The 700 MHz auction is set to begin Jan. 24.
The Silicon Valley-backed startup said applicants and investors need more time to digest the public-safety community’s statements of technical and operational expectations for the 700 MHz nationwide commercial-first responder broadband network, the FCC’s relaxation of the small business/wholesale bidding credit rule and the World Radiocommunication Conference’s global allocation of the 700 MHz band for next-generation wireless services.
Frontline suggested the proposed changes could be in the FCC’s interest as well.
“The brief extension will increase the chances of the successful auction of the D-Block license by ensuring that potential bidders and their investors do not sit out the auction simply because they have not had time to understand” new information, Frontline stated.
Congressional budget experts say the auction of 1,099 licenses at 700 MHz could generate between $10 billion and $15 billion for the U.S. Treasury.