FCC Outlines Incentive Auction Workshop

Oct. 26 session deals with issues raised in FCC notice of proposed rulemaking voted two weeks ago

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/12/2012 10:27:40 AM

The FCC has released details of its Oct. 26 broadcaster workshop on the incentive spectrum auctions and their impact both on broadcasters who give up their spectrum and those who chose not to.

The FCC is trying to reclaim as much as 120 MHz of spectrum from broadcasters to re-auction for wireless broadband.

The workshop will attempt to pack a lot of info on spectrum repacking, auction design and station eligibility into under two hours.

The workshop will go from 1:30 to 3:15 and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will be delivering opening remarks.

The topics of discussion will include reverse auction design proposals, band plans, interference and repacking and more, plus a half hour at the end for questions. On hand to answer questions at the workshop, which will be "broadcast live over the Internet," include Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman, Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julie Knapp.

Broadcasters will likely have a lot of those. The FCC released its auction proposals two weeks ago, but it did not provide hard answers on how stations will be repacked and what interference protections they will be given, though it signaled that preserving at least 98% of coverage areas was the target, as it was in the DTV transition back in 2009.