Wireless Spectrum Sale Postponed

U.S. lawmakers have cut a deal to postpone most of the sale of valuable wireless spectrum just days before the government is slated to begin the auction, sources familiar with the situation said.

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to begin auctioning 758 wireless licenses Wednesday, but the sale has attracted few big bidders or large wireless carriers because of concerns about when the airwaves would be available.

The airwaves to be sold are in the lower part of the 700-megahertz band and are currently used by television broadcasters that operate on channels 52-59 but are supposed to move to digital signals by 2007 at the earliest. That has added confusion to when the airwaves would be available to the successful bidders.