en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluded its latest AWS-3 spectrum auction last week, with total winning bids exceeding $3.5 billion. The FCC stated that bidding in this auction exceeded expectations, and previously idle valuable mid-band spectrum has been "assigned for productive use."

This is the FCC's first auction since losing its authority to sell national spectrum four years ago. The regulator regained its ability to auction spectrum last year. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated that after years of waiting, FCC auctions have finally returned; this successful auction generated billions of dollars in competitive bids, putting spectrum to productive commercial use and enhancing competition in the wireless market. The FCC will build on this momentum as it prepares for the upcoming Upper C-Band auction next year.

Carr emphasized that spectrum auctions are the lifeblood of licensing wireless services, and more spectrum means lower prices and stronger competition. He thanked the FCC team for making this auction a success through hard work and expertise. The FCC stated that up to $3.3 billion of the auction proceeds will be used to repay borrowings supporting the FCC's "Rip and Replace" program and other Department of Commerce projects.

The event, officially designated as "Auction 113," launched on June 2, 2026, with 17 qualified bidders participating, and the auction ran for 72 rounds. The auction involved 200 spectrum licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands. These licenses had experienced bidding defaults or withdrawals in the 2014 auction and had remained unused in FCC inventory since then. Most of these licenses were originally auctioned to Dish Network (now part of EchoStar) in 2014 but were returned to the FCC after defaults on payments.

The FCC confirmed that it is on track to meet the deadline set by Congress to complete a competitive auction system for at least 100 megahertz of Upper C-Band spectrum by July next year.