Spectrum Items Slated for Aug. 6 Meeting

The FCC released its agenda for the Aug. 6 meeting and, after delaying votes on spectrum auction items on July 16, it is packed, boasting seven separate items for commission votes including key broadcast incentive auction procedures.

The agenda includes:

1) A technology transitions item about special access regulations—requiring that dominant carrier's IP nets be offered to competitive carriers at reasonable rates and conditions, as they must now with their copper nets;

2) An item about continued access to 911 during the transition from copper to fiber nets—including requirements for backup power for VoIP voice service;

3) A spectrum auction-related item on mobile spectrum holdings—the FCC's proposal for a 30 MHz reserve of low-band spectrum in the forward auction;

4) The item on competitive bidding procedures for the incentive auction, including final procedures for setting initial spectrum-clearing targets qualifications for bidding, and bidding rules for the reverse and forward auction;

5) The item on putting unlicensed devices and wireless microphones in the duplex gap;

6) An item on accommodating the "long-term" needs of wireless mic users (which include news operations, sports venues and theaters); and

7) An item on getting advanced telecommunications to elementary and secondary schools.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.