Something is afoot.  The FCC has delayed the 700MHz auction [pdf link] from its original January 16th date so that prospective participants have extra time to “develop business plans, assess market conditions and evaluate the availability of equipment.”  Thing is, they’re postponing it for a grand total of eight days, with the auction now taking place on January 24th.

Although this gives them time to run a mock auction a week before the official sale, it nonetheless seems an unusual move overall.  Will eight days really give any of the bidders that much opportunity to rework plans they’ve likely been polishing for months already?  Call me a Suspicious Gerald, but it sounds vaguely like an excuse to me; I’m wondering if there’s something else that’s surreptitiously holding the auction up.

FCC statement:

“This change of the previously announced start date for Auction 73 will provide interested parties with additional time after this announcement of competitive bidding procedures to develop business plans, assess market conditions and evaluate the availability of equipment for new 700 MHz band services”

We’ll obviously bring you any new news as it breaks.

[via Fierce Wireless]