Proceeds From 5G Airwaves Auction Disappoint; Blame Verizon

The Federal Communications Commission’s first-ever auction of high-band airwaves for speedy 5G wireless services is bringing in less than a record haul for government coffers, despite intense interest from the nation’s top four telecom carriers in building next-generation networks.

Proceeds from the nearly completed auction of 28 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum have plateaued at about $690 million since December — well below the amount generated by some previous FCC auctions, spectrum analysts told Bloomberg Law. Bidding is continuing even though the FCC has halted most of its operations during the partial government shutdown. FCC spokesman Mark Wigfield declined to comment on ...