Verizon Wireless and AT&T won big in the Federal Communications Commission's now-concluded 700MHz auction, which raised a grand total of $19.592 billion for the government. Google failed to purchase any spectrum, but is probably not at all upset given that the open access conditions it wanted will apply. Verizon successfully bid on six big regional licenses on the auction's so-called Block C, one of which cost the company over $1.6 billion. This will give Verizon broadband reach across the continental United States and Hawaii.; the cell phone giant's press release says the six big bids it won will reach 298 million Americans, and 102 licenses it bought in smaller markets can potentially cover 171 million.
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*Source: Ars Technia (
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...settled.html)*
*Thanks to calidan for the submit.*
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