The upcoming Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction will...

The upcoming Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction will be a landmark event for the commission. It represents the first auction in almost 10 years of a nationwide footprint of spectrum ideal for mobile wireless services. There is a great deal at stake both for carriers interested in creating new services or expanding old ones and for the government, which has authorized the relocation of federal users to make room for these commercial services. This also is the first auction subject to the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act, which requires that auction proceeds must be sufficient (at least 110 percent) of estimated relocation costs of eligible federal entities.