The FCC wants to sell the best airwaves to the highest bidders among wireless carriers and TV stations, but legal challenges are forcing a delay in those plans. According to a report from Wall Street OTC, the FCC’s “incentive airwaves auction” has now been pushed back to 2016, pending a Court of Appeal petition from the National Association of Broadcasters.

The petition was penned because of concerns that the NAB has about the auction and what kind of impact in might have on TV stations. As a result of the filing, the United States Court of Appeals is looking at the auction and trying to determine what those potential impacts may be. However, the court has pushed the case into January 2015, which has in turn forced the FCC to change its plans. The auction had been originally set to go ahead in spring or summer of 2015.

Essentially, the auction would give wireless carriers and TV broadcasters a chance to purchase what has been described as “the beach-front property” of the airwaves. These radio spectrums would cost extra and would go to the highest bidder, but would provide stronger and clearer signals, as well as wider reach. In other words, they would be worth a lot, especially to wireless carriers aiming to fill in the dead zones on their service maps.

Naturally, though, the concept of selling superior airwaves is a complex one, and the auction is supposedly the most complex undertaking in the FCC’s history. The government agency will likely be happy to have a bit of extra time to plan things out, even if a court challenge is the primary reason for the delay. According to the Wall Street OTC report, the wireless carriers are actually the ones most frustrated with the delay.