Fact Sheet

Date:

Auction 2 began on 7/28/1994 and closed on 7/29/1994.

Round N/A (Oral Outcry), (See Winner Bidders PN)
 
 
Licenses:

594 licenses. Two each in 297 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)

Spectrum

A block: 218-218.5 MHz

B block: 218.5-219 MHz

Bandwidth:

Blocks A & B - 500 kHz ea.(2 x 500 kHz) in 297 MSAs

Winning Bidders:
178 bidders won 594 licenses
Rounds:
Oral Outcry
Qualified Bidders
289
Licenses Won:
594
Total Licenses:
594
Net Bids
$213,892,375
Gross Bids:
$248,743,000

 
 
 
General information and associated licensing parameters are provided below. Public Notices provide specific information regarding this auction. This fact sheet includes:

Key Dates

 

Event Date
Pre-Auction Seminar
7/27/1994
Form 175 (Short Form) Application Filing Deadline
6/27/1994; 5:30 pm ET
Registration
1994-17-27 to 1994-17-29
Auction Start
7/28/1994
Auction Closed
7/29/1994
 

Licenses Offered

On July 28 and 29, 1994, the FCC held an oral outcry auction for two (A block: 218-218.5 MHz and B block: 218.5-219 MHz) IVDS licenses that authorize service in 297 of the 306 MSAs. (The licenses for 9 of the top 10 MSAs were awarded by lottery held September 1993.)

Permissible Operations

IVDS is a point-to-multipoint, multipoint-to-point, short distance communication service. An IVDS licensee may transmit information, product and service offerings to its subscribers and receive interactive responses. Potential applications include ordering goods or services offered by television services, viewer polling, remote meter reading, vending inventory control, and cable television theft deterrence. Mobile operation is permitted. An IVDS licensee can develop other applications consistent with the rules without Commission approval. An IVDS channel, however, is insufficient for the transmission of conventional full motion video.

License Period

Licenses are issued for a ten-year term from the initial license grant date.

Installment Payments

Installment payments were made available to small businesses. See the Bidder Information Package for more details.

Bidding Credits

Businesses owned by women and minorities were entitled to a 25 percent bidding credit. See the Bidder Information Package for more details.