NEWS                                              July 16, 1996

BROADBAND PCS ENTREPRENEURS' ("C") BLOCK REAUCTION CLOSES
103% of C Block Levels Reached, Faster Than Ever

                   Today, the Federal Communications Commission's latest auction of licenses for
Personal Communications Services (PCS) closed, raising $904,607,467 in total net revenues.
The same licenses generated $874,194,914 in bids during the original C Block auction.  This
auction began on July 3, less than two months from the license default date, with 32 bidders. 
After eight days and 25 rounds of bidding, the auction closed with 7 winning bidders.  
     
     On May 15, BDPCS, Inc. and National Telecom PCS, Inc. failed to make the
required down payment on the licenses on which they were the high bidders in the
Entrepreneurs' Block Auction that closed on May 6.  As a result, these 18 licenses were
deemed in default by the FCC.  

     The Commission's rules provide that if a winning bidder fails to remit the required
downpayment the Commission may either reauction the license or offer it to the other highest
bidders.  In this case, the Commission decided that a reauction would rapidly and efficiently
assign the licenses. 

     "This re-auction proves that our reruns get the same reviews as our first-run shows,"
said FCC Chairman Reed E. Hundt.  "Two months ago, we had a handful of defaults.  At
that time, some said that the sky was falling and that auctions were in trouble.  This result
proves the naysayers flat wrong," he added.

     "Through this auction, once again the market determined the value and bidders were
able to efficiently aggregate licenses," said Michele C. Farquhar, Chief of the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau.  "The taxpayers won, too.  In fact, the $30 million raised in
excess of the original C Block auction approximately covers the cost of the entire two-year
FCC auction program," she added. 
                                   -FCC-

News Media contact: Kara Palamaras at (202) 418-0654.
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau contact: Louis Sigalos at (202) 418-0660.