FCC Moves Forward Auction Applications Tutorial

The FCC has provided updates to its application procedures for the upcoming two-sided broadcast incentive auction, including that it will hold its auction process interactive online tutorial for the forward auction by Jan. 19, 2016.

It held a tutorial for the reverse side (TV stations offering up spectrum to the FCC) Dec. 8, the day the application window opened for that side of the auction.

The forward auction application window opens Jan. 26 (and closes Feb. 9), so the wireless side will have a week to mull the info before they have to start applying. That appaers to be less time than the FCC was going to give forward auction participants, since the tutorial was initially scheduled for Jan. 7. But that date was set when the forward auction application window opened Jan. 14. So, the move simlpy aligns it with the new Jan. 26 date.

The auction public notice released this week will also:

"Provide additional information concerning access to the Commission’s bidding system ('Auction System') for the reverse and forward auctions; provide additional details about the grouping of Partial Economic Areas ('PEAs') in the assignment phase of the forward auction; and make ministerial changes to two of the appendices released with the Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice."

The auction is officially scheduled to begin March 29, but actual bidding won't start until several weeks after that.

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.