FCC . . . AIRWAVE AUCTION PROBE

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The Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into whether some buyers in the first-ever government auction of wireless licenses last month were up to no good. At issue: the FCC says some companies may have falsified information about their ability to pay for licenses they bid on, and some may have falsely claimed to be minority- or female-owned to gain special bidding preferences. The probe was begun after 27 of 178 winning companies failed to make down-payments for "interactive" licenses, which permit companies to offer customers two-way video and data services -- like video on demand.