TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Court Stay Forces FCC to Delay Airwaves Auction: The postponement is the second for the regulatory body. Winners will sell next-generation devices that are similar to cellular phones but are smaller, sound better, cost less and work faster. The Federal Communications Commission’s original rules for this small-business special auction were designed to help companies owned by women and minorities. But after the Supreme Court ruled last month that government programs giving preferences to women and minorities must face “strict scrutiny,” the agency on July 18 modified its rules, shifting the advantages to the smallest of the small bidders--those averaging $40 million or less in yearly revenue over the last three years. These bidders could qualify for 25% discounts on licenses won at auction.