The spectrum auction currently under way is drawing lots of controversy over its open access and public safety rules, but it’s also bringing in some big bucks. In the auction last Friday, bidding reached a high of $18.6 billion. That amount surpasses the minimum price of $10 billion set by FCC. It also exceeds the largest sum the government has ever received in an auction. Previously, the record was set in 2006 when an auction raised $13.7 billion, according to The New York Times.

However, not all spectrum is created equal. On Friday, no new bids came in for the “C Block,” which just surpassed the $4.7 billion minimum bid a day earlier that required the owner to follow the FCC’s open-access rules. No new bids came in for the “D Block,” which the FCC mandated that the owner share it with public safety agencies. The D Block has only received one bid. In the first round, it received a bid for $472 million, failing to reach its minimum of $1.3 billion. If the minimum is not reached, the FCC can decide whether it wants to re-auction the spectrum or change the rules associated with it.

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