Looking at some auction information on the FCC site, a typical license term is 10 or 15 years, renewable. I’m sure it varies. Here’s what the FCC says about what the auction grants, and the powers the FCC reserves. Each applicant should be aware that a Commission auction represents an opportunity to become a Commission licensee, subject to certain conditions and regulations. This includes the established authority of the Commission to alter the terms of existing licenses by rulemaking, which is equally applicable to licenses awarded by auction. In other words, they can change things at any time through their procedures, and even revoke a license. Think about it, no government agency is going to grant an irrevocable permanent license to anything. They are the sovereign power, and manage the airwaves for the people of the United States, who own them. I’m not a telecom lawyer, just looking these things up...
There's usually a build-out requirement. Here's an example: "An AWS-3 licensee must provide reliable signal coverage and offer service to at least 40 percent of the population in each of its license areas within 6 years after license grant, and provide reliable signal coverage and offer service to at least 75 percent of the population in each of its license areas by the end of the initial twelve-year license term." But it can be extended. https://www.rcrwireless.com/2020091...to-build-out-its-licenses-and-only-5g-will-do
And QRZ deletes my posts because I speak my mind, and will alwys do just that. Censorship is communist. Don't have the stomach for truth, then stop posting political junk. The FCC is OUR property, why does complaining about it, incite the actions of the sheep to silence critical comments? Government is the property of the people, we are not the property of anybody. Dead zones can be minimized if the handsets had better antennas, better, more efficient coupling, and higher gain states. Since most love the tiny form factors, external antennas have become passe, so you adapt to bad signals and accept poor service. Would you accept a radio that could not hear a signal below -75 dBm? Even cheap GPS patch antennas have filters and amplifiers to boost weak signals to useable levels, why are phone antennas so poorly designed, if but to fit in the confines of a cheap plastic housing.
Auction ended today. Final tally = $80,916,832,754. AT&T is looking for a $14B loan. https://www.fiercewireless.com/financial/at-t-looks-to-borrow-14b-for-5g-spectrum-report
There has always been Ham's in cellular. We designed, maintained and tested the network. Hams run a lot of emergency response teams. Between being with the wireless company and Ham radio I was often the first in after a tornado. How else could a guy with a banking degree talk himself into a tech job in 1990? The early days of cellular was a lot of fun. Big guys had to kill the fun! We used to ask the guys doing the recruiting what kind of toys (test gear) do I get? From day to day I never knew what I had to do. I repaired AC units, generators, fences and any electronics that broke. I have worked for the start up when we struggled with money. I have worked for a big guy where money did not seem to be any problem. It takes big bucks to build a network. Might as well do it right. It did take the government a while to figure out radio spectrum is valuable. Local governments have resented the fact they can not tax and regulate wireless companies like wire line service. Good luck to the winners. Jobs for many. The day I rolled out my 4g design I created jobs. From real estate to techs. Retired now after 30 years. Seventeen cells when I hired on! Just a big old 800MHz linked repeater with a very fancy voter designed by the best minds at Bell Labs! Read the book. 73 John
If one looks at the composition of the FCC today, it is a shadow of its former self. Another example of the wrong people in the wrong jobs, and the hands of pay to play in DC. Amateurs are now policing themselves with a small gorup of volunteers. Pray that they are not as PC conscious as we have seen in the social media sites.
