News
The FCC’s completed spectrum auction marks a comeback for the commission’s auction program following a lapse in congressional authority.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
June 24, 2026 — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the conclusion of its highly anticipated AWS-3 spectrum auction yesterday, drawing more than $3.5 billion in gross winning bids.
According to an FCC June 23 news release, the auction—formally designated as Auction 113—marks a major return for the agency’s auction program following a four-year gap and a previous lapse in congressional authority. Seventeen qualified bidders competed over 72 rounds of bidding, which originally began on June 2, 2026.
Radio spectrum serves as the invisible highway of the digital age, acting as the vital infrastructure needed to carry mobile data, prevent dropped calls, and fuel faster 5G and 6G cell service.
The auction put 200 previously idle licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands back into productive commercial use.
The FCC also said up to $3.3 billion of the auction proceeds will directly fund federal initiatives, including covering amounts borrowed to support the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program—commonly known as the “rip and replace” program—alongside other Department of Commerce programs.
“FCC auctions are finally back”
“After years on the sidelines, FCC auctions are finally back,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. “Today’s successful auction generated billions of dollars in competitive bids to put spectrum to effective commercial use, and it bolsters competition in the wireless marketplace.”
The newly restored auction authority stems from the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which mandates a spectrum pipeline to deliver 800 megahertz of spectrum by 2034. The FCC stated that the success of Auction 113 provides momentum as the agency prepares for its next mandated milestone: an Upper C-Band auction of at least 100 megahertz, scheduled to be completed no later than July 2027.
The FCC will release specific information regarding the winning bidders in a forthcoming public notice, the commission’s June 23 release said.
Some AI tools also assisted in the crafting of this report.
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