The World Company, a Lawrence-based media company that provides telephone, Internet, cable television and newspaper services in northeast Kansas, has submitted the successful bid for acquiring frequencies of public airwaves to allow for two-way communications in Lawrence.

The company has agreed to pay $1.495 million to acquire a portion of airwaves set to be vacated in 2009 with the conversion of TV transmissions from analog to digital signals.

The portion of the spectrum to be secured by The World Company will cover Lawrence and Douglas County, and allow for exclusive use of those airwaves for a range of two-way communications, said Chelsea Fallon, a spokeswoman for the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, which released auction results this week.

“There’s no particular requirement on the specific technology to be used,” Fallon said. “It could be used for voice, data, broadband or broadcasting-type service. It’s flexible.”

The company’s winning bid was part of a nationwide auction of the airwaves conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. The auction generated a record $19.6 billion to be pumped into the U.S. Treasury, with proceeds set to help finance rebate coupons for consumers who buy digital converter boxes to enable reception of digital TV signals through the air. Some money also will be designated for public safety communications.

Verizon Wireless agreed to pay $9.4 billion to acquire enough of a different portion of spectrum to cover the entire country. AT&T agreed to pay $6.6 billion for spectrum in some major markets.

FCC rules prohibit companies from discussing the auction results in detail until April 3, when down payments are due. But Patrick Knorr, chief operating officer for The World Company, which also owns the Journal-World, said the company was ready to move forward.

“We are pleased with the results of the auction,” Knorr said. “We will be in a position to provide next-generation wireless services to our customers.”