Time Warner Won't Bid on 700 MHz Spectrum
Time Warner, a key player in a coalition of cable operators that succeeded in buying broadband wireless spectrum during the last FCC auction process, won't participate in the 700 MHz auction, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said this morning.
Context & Ripple Effects
Glenn Britt's announcement comes the same day Comcast issued its own statement about the 700 MHz auction, suggesting the cable camp is coordinating its public posture rather than deciding one operator at a time. The backdrop matters: Time Warner was part of the confirmed cable-operator coalition that already bought broadband wireless spectrum in the previous FCC auction, so sitting out 700 MHz is a choice about strategy, not capability.
The auction itself carries unusual conditions — the FCC set open-access rules for the 700 MHz band back in July, and as recently as October AT&T itself was publicly unsure about bidding. With even the largest carrier wavering and the cable coalition holding newer spectrum already, the field for the January sale is thinning from both directions.
First-order effects
- Time Warner Cable keeps its capital out of the 700 MHz block, leaving any cable-side interest in the auction to partners like Comcast while Britt's team focuses on the spectrum the coalition already holds.
Second-order effects
- With a proven bidder like Time Warner withdrawing, competition for the C-block shrinks — raising the odds the open-access mandate falls to fewer, better-capitalized buyers such as Google-backed entrants or a hesitant AT&T.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, cable's route into wireless runs through coalition-purchased spectrum and wholesale partnerships rather than headline auctions — leaving the 700 MHz band to reshape the carrier market instead of the video/broadband one.
The trend: Licensed wireless capacity is splitting into two buyer camps — incumbent carriers weighing open-access strings against cable consortia that buy spectrum off-cycle — with each major auction redrawing who competes in mobile broadband.