General information and associated licensing parameters are provided below. Public Notices provide specific information regarding this auction. This fact sheet includes:

Auction No. 69 will offer 64 licenses in the paired 1392-1395 MHz and 1432-1435 MHz bands, and in the unpaired 1390-1392 MHz band. A complete list of licenses available in Auction No. 69 and their descriptions is provided in Attachment A of Public Notice DA 06-2014.

When adopting its service rules for these bands, the Commission established a flexible regulatory and licensing framework in order to promote the provision of new and technologically innovative services. Licensees may provide both fixed and mobile services including wireless internet, high speed data as well as advanced two-way mobile and paging services.

The 1.4 GHz bands licenses shall have a term of ten years from the date of initial issuance. See 47 C.F.R. § 27.13(c), (d).

The 1.4 GHz bands licensees must make a showing of “substantial service” in their license area within the initial license term (ten years). See 47 C.F.R. § 27.14(a). “Substantial” service is defined as service which is sound, favorable, and substantially above a level of mediocre service which just might minimally warrant renewal. Any licensee that fails to meet this requirement will forfeit its license and the licensee will be ineligible to regain it.

Bidding credits are available to small businesses and very small businesses and consortia thereof (as defined in 47 C.F.R. § 1.2110). A bidding credit represents the amount by which a bidder’s winning bid is discounted. The size of the bidding credit depends on the average annual gross revenues for the preceding three years of the bidder, its affiliates, its controlling interests, and the affiliates of its controlling interests:

• A bidder with attributed average annual gross revenues that exceed $15 million and do not exceed $40 million for the preceding three years (“small business”) will receive a 15 percent discount on its winning bid.
• A bidder with attributed average annual gross revenues that do not exceed $15 million for the preceding three years (“very small business”) will receive a 25 percent discount on its winning bid.

Bidding credits are not cumulative; a qualifying applicant receives the 15 percent or 25 percent bidding credit on its winning bid, but not both.

A winning bidder that intends to use its license(s) to deploy facilities and provide services to federally-recognized tribal lands that are unserved by any telecommunications carrier or that have a wireline penetration rate equal to or below 85 percent is eligible to receive a tribal lands bidding credit as set forth in 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.2107(e) and 1.2110(f). A tribal lands bidding credit is in addition to, and separate from, any other bidding credit for which a winning bidder may qualify. A winning bidder need not qualify for a small business bidding credit to be eligible for a tribal lands bidding credit.

Unlike other bidding credits that are requested prior to the auction, a winning bidder applies for the tribal lands bidding credit after winning the auction when it first files its long-form application (FCC Form 601). In order for a winning bidder to be awarded a tribal lands bidding credit, it must provide specific certifications regarding the servicing of tribal lands and is subject to specific performance criteria as set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 1.2110(f).

Additional information on the tribal lands bidding credit, including how the amount of the credit is calculated, can be found on the Commission’s auction web site at Tribal Land Bidding Credits.

There are several government operations that will continue to operate in these bands:

1390-1392 MHz

• Radio astronomy observations may be assigned in the 1350-1400 MHz band on an unprotected basis at the 16 radio astronomy observatories identified in the table of Footnote US311 set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 2.106.
• In the 1390-1400 MHz band, government operations authorized as of March 22, 1995, at the 17 sites identified in the table of Footnote US351 set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 2.106 will continue to operate on a fully protected basis until January 1, 2009. All other government operations, except for medical telemetry (1395-1400 MHz), will operate on a non-interference basis to authorized non-Government operations and shall not hinder implementation of any non-Government operations.

1392-1395 MHz and 1432-1435 MHz

• Radio astronomy observations may be assigned in the 1350-1400 MHz band on an unprotected basis at the 16 radio astronomy observatories identified in the table of Footnote US311 set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 2.106.
• In the 1390-1400 MHz band, government operations authorized as of March 22, 1995, at the 17 sites identified in the table of Footnote US351 set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 2.106 will continue to operate on a fully protected basis until January 1, 2009. All other government operations, except for medical telemetry (1395-1400 MHz), will operate on a non-interference basis to authorized non-Government operations and shall not hinder implementation of any non-Government operations.
• In the 1432-1435 MHz band, government stations in the fixed and mobile services may operate indefinitely on a primary basis at the 23 sites listed in the table of Footnote US361 set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 2.106. All other Government stations in the fixed and mobile services shall operate on a primary basis until re-accommodated in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 1999.

47 C.F.R. Part 27.

For more information about the structure of Auction No. 69 and bidding procedures, see Public Notice DA 06-2014