The FCC has not yet assigned the AWS-3 spectrum licenses awarded to Dish-controlled entities in the latest airwave auction. According to a public notice, the FCC has awarded licenses to other winners AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US, as well as a number of…
The FCC has not yet assigned the AWS-3 spectrum licenses awarded to Dish-controlled entities in the latest airwave auction.
According to a public notice, the FCC has awarded licenses to other winners AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US, as well as a number of smaller players.
All the approved licenses have been paid in full, the FCC said.
A Dish spokesperson declined to comment, while the FCC did not respond to a request for comment.
Dish won 702 licenses after making US$13.3bn worth of bids through its designated entities NorthStar Wireless LLC and SNR Wireless LicenseCo.
However, its bid faced regulatory scrutiny as some rivals argued that it had manipulated FCC rules to qualify for a 25% discount aimed at small businesses. Dish has always maintained that it acted within the law.
Analysts are positive that Dish’s winning bid will eventually be approved. However, the debate fuelled speculation that the regulator might amend its bidding rules concerning designated entities in the upcoming incentive auction, scheduled for early 2016.
“While it is clear that new rules will likely exist for designated entities in the upcoming incentive auction, we did not and still don’t believe any restrictive or punitive action can take place on Dish’s designated entities as a result of the AWS-3 auction,” Walter Piecyk from BTIG Research said.
“We continue to expect the designated entity licenses to be issued without further complication, although admittedly this delay could be considered a complication while we await the FCC’s next move,” he added.
