NEWS
	Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554	News media information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 202/418-2555
	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).
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2000 News Media Contact: Bryan Tramont, Legal Advisor to the Commissioner, at (202) 418-2000
	COMMISSIONER HAROLD FURCHTGOTT-ROTH REACTS TO NEXTWAVE DECISION
	Today's action by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau to designate Nextwave's licenses for reauction marks yet another sad chapter in the C Block PCS auction experience. That experience is a case study in good intentions gone awry. The government -- having actively encouraged certain companies to bid on this spectrum and then creating an auction process that skewed the economic incentives of those participants to make realistic bids -- practically doomed these licensees to failure. From the establishment of installment payments to the delays in issuance of the licenses to other unpredictable twists and turns, the net result has been that few consumers or licensees have benefited from our C-Block policies. Today's Public Notice by the Bureau only illustrates the legacy of lost opportunity that has dogged this spectrum block. Hopefully, future Commission policy will be informed by the lessons that C Block history teaches. --FCC--