U.S. court upholds $33B in FCC spectrum auctions

A U.S. appeals court has upheld auctions of around $33 billion worth of wireless spectrum, claiming that it would be "imprudent and unfair" to unwind them now. However, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia struck down two FCC auction rules--one that made small carriers keep their spectrum for at least 10 years before reselling it and another that blocked them from leasing more than 50 percent to third parties. Nonetheless, the court said that because wireless carriers are making use of the spectrum, which was auctioned between 2006 and 2008, the auctions should not be voided. The auctions had been challenged by Council Tree Communications, Bethel Native and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, which argued the FCC's rules were unfair to smaller carriers. Article