By Ryan Knutson
Verizon Communications Inc. says rival Dish Network Corp.'s
coordinated bidding with two affiliated entities in an Federal
Communications Commission spectrum auction went too far and may
have violated the agency's rules.
The complaint, voiced in a filing with the commission late
Friday, adds a new wrinkle to the debate over Dish's aggressive
strategy in the record auction that drew $45 billion worth of bids
and closed in January.
Rivals have already complained that Dish distorted the results
and unfairly claimed $3.3 billion in discounts set aside for small
businesses. Now, Verizon is alleging that the company's complex
bidding strategy may have violated antitrust rules.
Dish has said it followed the FCC's rules and that the auction
was fair. Some analysts have said in the end that Dish's entities
submitted winning bids that rivals could have topped had they
chosen to and that the auction's record $45 billion in bids
accurately reflected demand for spectrum amid a surge in wireless
Internet use.
We are confident that we fully complied with all legal
requirements," a Dish spokesman said, "including antitrust
law."
Write to Ryan Knutson at ryan.knutson@wsj.com
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