On March 29, 2017, the FCC released a Public Notice providing instructions to full power and Class A television broadcasters and Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) on receiving incentive and/or reimbursement payments following the closure of the Incentive Auction. The Public Notice stated that, in order to receive payments, winning bidders in the reverse auction … Continue Reading
D.C. Circuit tosses LPTV challenge to auction/repack process, but $65 billion differential between forward and reverse auction bids forces second bid round with lower clearing target. On the Spectrum Auction front, August, 2016 ended in Dickensian style for the FCC: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A victory at … Continue Reading
A seemingly small but crucial element of the FCC's incentive auction preparations has survived a broadside attack in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.… Continue Reading
The Incentive Auction may not start until sometime in 2016, but the Commission is facing - now - the monumental task of working out the myriad details that will govern the auction process.… Continue Reading
More than 30 petitions for reconsideration of the Incentive Spectrum Auction Report and Order have been filed - and deadlines for responding to those petitions have now been set.… Continue Reading
If you picked "mid-2015" in your office pool for the date the FCC's incentive spectrum auction would be held, we've got some bad news for you.… Continue Reading
If you think you might want to ask the FCC to reconsider its spectrum incentive auction Report and Order, or maybe ask a court of appeals to review it, you should mark your calendar now.… Continue Reading
A report commissioned by the FCC provides a clear, if unpleasant, glimpse of the practical burdens the TV industry faces in the channel repacking process.… Continue Reading
The public notice doesn't say anything about requiring licensees to patronize equipment suppliers who offer Green Stamps, but we're guessing the Bureau might be open to that if somebody were to suggest it.… Continue Reading
The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology wants to sharpen its pencil when it comes to predicting TV station coverage. Is that really a good idea?… Continue Reading
In an effort to coax otherwise reticent TV broadcasters to join in the public discussion about plans for incentive auctions, the Media Bureau has provided instructions on the fine art of filing comments anonymously.… Continue Reading
Once the "reverse" and "forward" auctions have both been completed and TV licenses have all been tucked away in their newly-compacted space, the fun will really begin for the Commission.… Continue Reading
The "forward" auction the FCC plans to use to dole out reconfigured spectrum to wireless operators may seem traditional, but watch out.… Continue Reading
Once the final participants in the repacking of the TV band have been identified through the "reverse" auction process, the shuffling of stations necessary to accomplish the repacking will raise a number of practical considerations and conundrums.… Continue Reading
Whether or not you plan to participate in the "reverse" auction, if you're a TV licensee, you should be aware of what the FCC has in mind for the spectrum around you.… Continue Reading
