FCC Considering Auctioning The Unsold 700MHz D Block As Free Broadband

Earlier this year, the FCC attempted to auction off the D Block of spectrum in the 700MHz frequency band. The little snag was that it be used to build a nationwide emergency communications network for public safety, which obviously resulted in it not receiving a single bid. The bulk of the 700MHz spectrum was won by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, who both later announced plans to launch LTE based 4G network on that spectrum.

Currently the FCC is hatching a plan to auction the same spectrum licenses again, but this time it’s going to be used to build a nationwide network of free broadband access. This idea originated from M2Z Networks, Inc, which is based in California. Back then, they approached the FCC about using these spectrum blocks to setup a free nationwide broadband network, and offered to pay the government 5% of the advertising revenue generated by it.

Though the offer was originally rejected, the FCC is considering auctioning the spectrum off this summer, though there are no actual dates as to when this auction might occur. The resulting network would need to reach half the U.S. population within 5 years, and 95% within 10 years.