The FCC has released its draft procedures public notice for the auction of 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) licenses in Auction 105 starting June 24, 2020. The public notice details various proposed application and bidding procedures for Auction 105, which will offer up to seven Priority Access Licenses (PALs) on a county basis. The proposed application window would open on March 26, 2020 and close on April 9, 2020, and actual bidding would begin June 25, 2020. Auction 105 will include bidding credits for small businesses and rural service providers as well as for licenses in Tribal land areas. The draft public notice does not permit package bidding on the county-based PALs on a Cellular Market Area-basis consistent with opposition raised on the record. Because the short-form application window may potentially open very soon–less than a month after the FCC’s February 28, 2020 meeting–potential applicants should begin their CBRS due diligence efforts as soon as possible.
