Washington – A partnership of the two top satellite TV companies that qualified as the top potential bidders in the federal government’s airwaves auction had all but dropped out of the competition by the close of bidding Tuesday.
Wireless DBS LLC, a partnership between Douglas County-based EchoStar Communications Corp. and the DirecTV Group Inc., was the top qualifier for the auction, posting a $972.5 million deposit.
Due to inactivity, the partnership’s eligibility to bid on licenses shrank dramatically.
“I think the prices just got too high for them,” said Tim Farrar, president of Telecom, Media and Finance Associates Inc.
An EchoStar spokeswoman declined to comment. Direc TV is controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
Leading the bidding on Tuesday was Verizon Wireless, which held the winning bid of $2.8 billion on four licenses.
