*Pages 1--1 from Microsoft Word - 59668.doc* NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Clyde Ensslin September 18, 2006 (202) 418- 0506 STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN ON THE CONCLUSION OF ADVANCED WIRELESS SERVICES AUCTION The first Advanced Wireless Services auction, which closed today, is the biggest, most successful wireless auction in the Commission’s history. The spectrum offered was the largest amount of spectrum suitable for deploying wireless broadband ever made available in a single FCC auction. It grossed nearly $13.9 billion. I am particularly pleased that more than half of the winning bidders were small businesses. I hope many of these smaller companies will fulfill the promise of advanced wireless services in America’s underserved and rural areas. Auction winners are expected to use this prime “spectrum real estate” to roll out new devices, which will allow consumers to access the Internet and dedicated video services wherever they want, whenever they want. For example, sports fans watching their favorite team will no longer need to wait until they get home to catch up on the games – they will be able to watch highlights and obtain scores on their mobile devices in real- time. -FCC- 1