The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), in conjunction with the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), has issued a Public Notice seeking comment on the proposed small business size standards, determinative of eligibility for bidding credits, in the 2.5 GHz band auction of Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum. Eligible small businesses can either qualify as a “small business,” for a 15 percent bidding credit, or a “very small business,” for a 25 percent bidding credit, depending on their average gross revenues. To qualify as a “small business,” an entity must have average gross revenues of less than or equal to $55 million over the preceding five years. To qualify as a “very small business,” an entity must have average gross revenues of less than or equal to $20 million over the preceding five years. The Commission proposed these small business size standards to improve the ability of small businesses to attract the capital necessary to participate meaningfully in this auction.
