Open-access lovers, feel free to breathe – after round 17 of bidding on the FCC’s 700MHz auction, the Block C reserve price has been exceeded, meaning that a) someone will be walking away with chunks of what many believe to be the premium wireless spectrum in the US, and b) they’ll be obliged to allow compatible third-party devices to access their network thanks to Google’s pressure for open-access provisos.

After languishing just under the $4.6bn threshold yesterday for a full three rounds, the Block was finally pushed to $4,713,823,000; the minimum bid for the next round is in excess of a whopping $5.2bn.

The identity of the latest bidder is unknown, thanks to the FCC’s decision to keep participants anonymous until the close of the auction, but rumors are circulating that Google was responsible having originally pledged to put up at least the reserve figure.  Round 18 has since closed, with no further bids on the band.

With a grand total so far of just under $13.7bn, the troublesome D Block still languishes at just $472m.

[table via RCR]