Secret bidding for US airwaves tops $3.3bn

Yes, the 700-MHz auction has finally arrived. But we're still waiting for the big money bets. On Thursday, the US Federal Communications Commission took the first bids for the much ballyhooed 700-MHZ "C Block," a particularly juicy nationwide slice of the US airwaves, and four business days later, as the auction reaches its …

[Rick]

What about ATT

My money is on them. They have been mum on but rumor is they are making a big push

http://www.intomobile.com/2007/09/25/att-frontline-petition-fcc-over-upcoming-700mhz-spectrum-auction.html

[Herby]

Now if this were on Ebay, we could all see the action!

Just think of it companies like V***n and A***t and S***t, all bidding on something. It would make for a very interesting auction. It will even have a "reserve not met" line there.

I'll bid $1.93 or so. What was that opening bid? Does it have a "Buy it now?", can I put it on PayPal? What fun!

What I really want back is TV channels 56-69. Let these people go somewhere else! They have already wasted 800-890 MHz (channels 70-83 in the USA).

[JeffyPooh]

$150 per Hz?

$3.3B/22MHz is 150 smackeroos per hertz. Yikes.

I think Shannon's Law could be updated somehow to include money.

[MarmiteToast]

Wise move?

Historically companies have always over-valued radio space so whoever wins is probably going to be feeling the effects of this purchase for some time.

Having said that converting cash in to assets it's probably a good move if there's going to be a global down turn.

[Greg]

Converting cash into assets???

Mamite Toast: "Having said that converting cash in to assets it's probably a good move if there's going to be a global down turn."

Uh? What?

That's exactly the opposite.

If there is a downturn, asset price fall, so actually the very best thing to do just before a downturn is sell all assets if you have any, and certainly not buy if you have just cash.

What you're saying here is basically "oh, stocks are going to go way down, so I guess it's time to buy everything I can before it falls" (though you're talking about the assets that the companies own, companies whose value will decrease in case of downturn so it's the same).

[Anonymous Coward]

ATT has the money due to iPhone sales

AT&T probably couldn't have afforded it, but due to iPhone sales now they can. So if AT&T wins, shuts out all competition and basically destroys the world, we can blame Steve Jobs. Well that's just loverly!

BTW requests for an iPhone icon, a Britney icon, and a Lohan icon. We need icons for every "train wreck" of the year. Or maybe just a crashing train icon?