TELECOMMUNICATIONS

TCI Quits Government Auction: Tele-Communications Inc. dropped out in the 11th round of bidding for a nationwide direct broadcast satellite license. MCI Communications Corp. led the bidding Wednesday with an offer of $450 million. Echostar DBS Corp., the auction’s only other remaining bidder, received an 11th-round bye because it had the highest bid in the previous round of $348.8 million. MCI, which plans to develop satellite service with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. if it wins the license, and Echostar, a division of Echostar Communications Corp., are now the only remaining bidders. The Federal Communications Commission sale will resume today. The auction ends when only one bidder is left. TCI executives said the company dropped out of the race because the price was getting too high.