Evaluating the FCC’s $10 Billion Gamble: Successfully Accelerating Access to Spectrum in Auction 107

Abstract

This research analyzed how much bidders in the record-breaking C-Band spectrum (3.7–4.2 GHz) auction were willing to pay for earlier access to frequency rights and the policy implications of the incentive system employed by the Federal Communications Commission to clear the band on an accelerated timeline. The analysis found that bidders paid 20.7 percent more on average for licenses available two years earlier with no subsequent legal challenges. Even though it did not follow traditional price discovery, Auction 107 laid the groundwork for accelerating the transition of wide swaths of the spectrum.