FCC Commissioner objects to DISH’s discount from AWS-3 auction

The surprise player in the AWS-3 auction was none other than DISH Network, who had bid more than $13 billion for several hundred licenses, but because it used two designated bidders (Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless) that qualified as “small businesses,” thus the FCC allowed a 25% discount to be applied at the close of the auction, leaving a balance of just over $10 billion to DISH and its partners.



Even though these two companies are “small” with less than $15 million in annual revenues, they are partnerships between DISH, and several private equity firms like BlackRock and Madison Dearborn ...