Auction 902: Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I

Summary

February 25, 2014 - February 25, 2014

Rounds:

Bidding Days:

Qualified Bidders:

Winning Bidders:

Reports Files

Winning Bids by State/Tribal Land

Winning Bids by Bidder

Bidder Summary

All Bids

General Information

Eligible Census Block Data
As noted in Public Notice DA 13-1672 (released 8/7/2013), the links below will take you to data on census blocks eligible for Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support. These blocks were identified by analyzing 2010 Census data, January 2013 Mosaik Solutions data and information submitted by third parties.
Attachment A File – Eligible Census Blocks (xls) (updated 2/3/2014)
Attachment A File – Bidding Areas (xls) (updated 2/3/2014)
Crosswalk (xls)
The above file provides a crosswalk between the names used in the Attachment A files released with the Auction 902 Procedures Public Notice DA 13-1672 and the names used in the Auction 902 Comment Public Notice DA 13-323.

GIS Data

These links provide data for Auction 902 eligible areas and winning bids in geographic information system (GIS) format. Each zip file contains a shapefile and its related components.
Eligible Areas Shapefile (updated 2/3/2014) (zip)
Winning Bids Shapefile (zip)

Historical Eligible Areas Map

Historical Potentially Eligible Areas Map

Recent Releases
Major Releases

2/28/2014
Winning Bidders

2/11/2014
Qualified Bidders

1/6/2014
Applications to Participate

8/7/2013
Procedures

3/29/2013
Comment Sought

3/13/2015
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 15-318)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Final Fifty-One Winning Bids

12/19/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-1860)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Eleven Winning Bids

11/20/2014
Public Notice (DA 14-1675)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Fifteen Winning Bids

Fact Sheet

Date:

Auction 902 began on 2/25/2014 and closed on 2/25/2014.

Winning Bidders:

Rounds:

Qualified Bidders:

Total Licenses:

1004

Support Awarded:

$49,806,874

Eligible Geographic Areas:

1,004 bidding areas:
230 total Census Tracts with a total of 5,218 eligible Census Blocks (Total of 279 Tribal Lands with Eligible Census Blocks)

General information and associated licensing parameters are provided below. Public notices provide specific information regarding this auction. This fact sheet includes:

Key Dates
Universal Service Support Offered
Areas Eligible for Support
Applicant Requirements for Participation
Bidding Credit for Tribal Entities
Public Interest Obligations
Rules

Key Dates

Event	Date
Auction Tutorial Available (via Internet)	11/18/2013
FCC Form 180 (Short Form) Application Filing Window Opens	11/18/2013; Noon ET
FCC Form 180 (Short Form) Application Filing Deadline	12/5/2013; 6:00 pm ET
Mock Auction	2/21/2014
Auction Start	2/25/2014
Auction Closed	2/25/2014

Universal Service Support Offered

The Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 902) will offer up to $50 million in one-time support to carriers that commit to provide 3G or better mobile voice and broadband services to Tribal lands that lack such service. Support will be allocated to maximize the population covered by new mobile services without exceeding the budget of $50 million. Winning bidders will have to deploy third-generation (often called “advanced” or “3G”) service within two years or fourth-generation (“4G”) service within three years after the award of support.

Auction 902 will award high-cost universal service support through competitive bidding. Using a reverse auction format, bidders will identify a per-pop support price at which they are willing to meet our requirements to cover the population in a given area. Support will be awarded based on the lowest per-pop bid amounts submitted, to at most one provider in a given area. Thus, bidders will compete not only against other carriers that may be bidding for support in the same areas, but also against carriers bidding for support in other Tribal land areas nationwide. Support will be awarded equal to the per-pop bid rate multiplied by the population within the eligible census blocks that the winning bidder actually covers within the required timeframe.

Areas Eligible for Support

Tribal lands currently without 3G or better services, and eligible for Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support, were determined on a census block basis using 2010 Census data, January 2013 Mosaik Solutions data, and information submitted by third parties. Because Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support will be awarded based on the bid amounts that will maximize the population covered by new mobile services, census blocks without population were excluded, as well as those census blocks that were the subject of winning bids in Auction 901 for which support has been authorized. Eligible census blocks were aggregated by Tribal land and census tract. If a single Tribal land included more than one census tract, then the Tribal land was subdivided by tract for bidding area purposes; there will be one bidding area for each tract in the Tribal land. Bidders will not bid on individual blocks, except in Alaska, where bids may be placed for individual census blocks that are outside of the Alaska Native village statistical areas. Bidders may bid on multiple bidding areas and be awarded support for any or all of them.

Applicant Requirements for Participation

Each applicant should consult the applicable Commission rules and public notices concerning Auction 902 to ensure that, in addition to meeting the requirements listed below, it can certify that it is legally, technically, and financially qualified to participate in the auction and will be able to meet the public interest obligations associated with Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support. The applicant must:

Certify that it has been designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) in any geographic area for which it will seek support, or that it is a Tribally-owned or -controlled entity with a pending application for ETC designation within the boundaries of its associated Tribal lands where it will seek support.
Provide a description of its required spectrum access and certify that the description is accurate and that the applicant will retain such access for at least five years from the date on which it is authorized to receive support. In general, an applicant that holds a license or lease, or has otherwise contracted for access to spectrum consistent with Commission rules, for the required timeframe will meet this requirement.
Be financially and technically capable of providing 3G or better service in the geographic areas for which it seeks support.
Not seek support for any areas in which it has made a public commitment to deploy 3G or better wireless service by December 31, 2012. This restriction does not prevent another applicant from seeking and receiving support for an eligible geographic area where another provider has announced such a commitment.

Submission of a false certification to the Commission may result in penalties, including monetary forfeitures, the forfeiture of universal service support, license forfeitures, ineligibility to participate in future auctions, and/or criminal prosecution.

Bidding Credit for Tribal Entities

A 25 percent “reverse” bidding credit is available for any Tribally-owned or -controlled provider seeking Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support on its Tribal lands. The credit is available with respect to the eligible census blocks located within the geographic area defined by the boundaries of the Tribal land associated with the Tribe that owns or controls the provider seeking support.

The bidding credit reduces the Tribal entity’s bid amount by 25 percent for the purpose of comparing it to other bids, but if the entity were to win, support would be calculated at the full, undiscounted bid amount.

Public Interest Obligations

To ensure that Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support meets the Commission’s public interest objectives, all recipients will be subject to a variety of obligations, including service requirements, performance deadlines, annual reporting and record retention requirements, collocation, voice and data roaming requirements, and Tribal engagement obligations, in exchange for the support they receive. Among other things, a winning bidder will be required to provide coverage to a minimum of 75 percent of the population associated with the eligible census blocks in each bidding area for which it is awarded support within two years for 3G deployments or three years for 4G deployments.

Rules

47 C.F.R. Parts 1 and 54
USF/ICC Transformation Order, FCC 11-161, 26 FCC Rcd 17663 (2011)

Releases P

3/13/2015
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 15-318)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Final Fifty-One Winning Bids
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bids Authorized for Support

12/19/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-1860)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Eleven Winning Bids
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bids Authorized for Support.

11/20/2014
Public Notice (DA 14-1675)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support Authorized for Fifteen Winning Bids
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bids Authorized for Support.

10/31/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-1584)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support For Fifty-One Winning Bids Ready to be Authorized
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bids Ready to be Authorized for Support

10/30/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-1574)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support For Eleven Winning Bids Ready to be Authorized
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bids Ready to be Authorized for Support

7/18/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-1012)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support; Authorized For One Winning Bid
Auction 902 Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Winning Bid Authorized for Support.

6/19/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-843)
Guidance on Annual Reports and Other Reporting Requirements for Recipients of Support Under Phase I of the Mobility Fund (Including Tribal Mobility Fund); 2014 Annual Report Filing Deadline Extended to July 31, 2014; Specifications for Shapefile Data to be Submitted with FCC Form 690
Reporting Guidance, Filing Portal, and 2014 Filing Deadline Extension.

6/18/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-817)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Support for 18 Winning Bids Ready to be Authorized
Listed Auction 902 Winning Bidders Must Submit Letters of Credit and Legal Counsel's Opinion Letters by July 2, 2014.

2/28/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-263)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Closes; Winning Bidders Announced for Auction 902
Announces Winning Bidders; Tribal Notification by March 7, 2014; Form 680 Due April 4, 2014.

2/11/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-178)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; 14 Bidders Qualified to Participate in Auction 902
Identifies 14 applicants found to be qualified to bid in Auction 902 and provides bidding instructions.

2/3/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-109)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; Updated List of Eligible Areas for Auction 902
Announces updates to list of eligible areas for Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support to be offered in Auction 902.

1/6/2014
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 14-7)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; Status of Short-Form Applications to Participate in Auction 902
Announces status of short-form applications to participate in Auction 902.

12/12/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA-13-2354)
WTB and WCB Seek Comment on Petition by Leech Lake Telecommunications Company, LLC for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier for Participation in Auction 902, Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I, and To Provide Lifeline and Link Up Serv ices

11/1/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-2111)
Wireless Telecommunications and Wireline Competition Bureaus Seek Comment on NTUA Wireless, LLC's Petition for Forbearance from Eligible Telecommunications Carrier Service Area Requirement

10/30/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-2057)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Rescheduled for February 25, 2014; Notice of Changes to Auction 902 Schedule Following Resumption of Normal Commission Operations

10/1/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-2014)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 902); Short-Form Application Filing Window Suspended; Any Changes to Auction Schedule or Procedures to be Announced Upon Resumption of Operations

9/27/2013
PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION (DA 13-1986)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; Updated List of Eligible Areas; Petition for Reconsideration of Auction 902 Procedures Public Notice Granted in Part
Updates the list of eligible areas for auction of Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support (Auction 902).

9/25/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1978)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 902); Short-Form Application Filing Window Rescheduled to Open on September 30, 2013

9/19/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1925)
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Wireline Competition Bureau Seek Comment on Petition to Designate CSE Wireless, Inc. an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier for Participation in Auction 902 - Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I

9/9/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1876)
Comment Sought on Petition for Reconsideration of Auction 902 Procedures Public Notice
Oppositions Due: 09/16/2013, Replies to Oppositions Due: 09/23/2013.

8/7/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-1672)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Rescheduled For December 19, 2013; Notice and Filing Requirements and Other Procedures for Auction 902
Announces procedures and filing requirements for the December 19, 2013 reverse auction that will award up to $50 million in one-time Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support. (Attachments A-1 & A-2 corrected on 8/8/2013 to remove 215 duplicate census blocks in New Mexico.)

3/29/2013
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 13-323)
Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Scheduled for October 24, 2013; Comment Sought on Competitive Bidding Procedures for Auction 902 and Certain Program Requirements
Potential Eligible Blocks: xls
Copies of comments and reply comments filed in response to this public notice may be found by using the search function of ECFS under proceeding 13-53 or through the FCC Reference Information Center, which is located at the Commission's Headquarters.

Releases O

10/9/2014
ORDER (DA 14-1469)
Copper Valley Wireless, LLC, Waiver of Section 54.1007(A) of the Commission's Rules
Granted waiver of Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I letter of credit requirement.

12/4/2013
ORDER (DA 13-2318)
Petition of NTUA Wireless, LLC for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier
The Wireline Competition Bureau and The Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus adopted limited forbearance for conditional ETC designations for Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction.

12/4/2013
ORDER (DA 13-2319)
Petition of CSE Wireless, Inc., for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in North Carolina
The Wireline Competition Bureau and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus granted in part the petition of CSE Wireless, Inc. for conditional designation as an ETC.

Summary

Fact Sheet

Auction 902 Full Information Round Results Files

Auction Seminar

Education