With the release of the Incentive Auction Closing and Channel Reassignment Public Notice (affectionately known as the “CCR”), the FCC officially draws the spectrum Incentive Auction to a close. The CCR is a must-read for TV broadcasters and wireless carriers alike. It announces broadcast and wireless winning bidders, sets deadlines and timetables for filings, and … Continue Reading
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
Input sought on revised catalog of likely repack expenses As we all know, TV stations forced by the Incentive Auction/spectrum repack process to modify their facilities will be entitled to reimbursement of their reasonable repacking-related costs. And as we reported a couple of years ago, to give everybody – FCC and affected broadcasters (and MVPDs) … Continue Reading
Sure, we all still have a ways to go before the Incentive Auction wraps, but it’s not too early to start thinking about relocation reimbursements. As we all know, TV stations re-assigned to new channels as a result of the auction (and the consequent spectrum repack) will be entitled to reimbursement from the Feds. Ditto … 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 couple of weeks ago we reported on the FCC’s announcement of the final steps in the run-up to the start of bidding in the clock phase of the reverse auction portion of the long-awaited, much-anticipated Broadcast Incentive Auction. One of those steps: an FCC-conducted workshop on the online bidding system that participants will have … Continue Reading
It’s crunch time – so everybody looking to participate in the Incentive Auction should pay close attention. At long last, the Commission has announced the Initial Clearing Target that it plans to shoot for in the Incentive Auction, and it has set the dates for the commencement of the reverse auction. These are developments of … Continue Reading
Announcement clears up uncertainty, ideally encourages preparations that might move repack along faster. If you’re a broadcaster thinking about getting a head start on the incentive auction’s relocation process, you may be in luck. The FCC has announced that some repack-related expenses will be eligible for reimbursement even if they are incurred before the auction … Continue Reading
Last fall we reported that the Commission had released the form (official dubbed Form 2100, Schedule 399) to be used by repacked TV licensees seeking reimbursement for their relocation costs once the dust has settled on the Incentive Auction. While the FCC had declared the form it released to be the “final” version, that version … Continue Reading
Second Confidential Status Letters are on the way! If you’re a TV licensee who submitted a “complete” application to participate in the upcoming reverse auction component of the Incentive Auction, be on the lookout for a package coming to you from the FCC. It’s your Second Confidential Status Letter (SCSL) – a/k/a your Golden Ticket … Continue Reading
FCC releases samples of file formats to be provided to reverse auction participants during auction. In case we were all figuring that the reverse auction was going to be a walk in the park, the FCC has given us a glimpse of Reverse Auction Future by posting the “reverse auction file format specifications” that will … Continue Reading
The actual Module itself is not slated to become available until two business days before the commitment “window” opens. It’s “damn the stay requests (and appeals), full speed ahead” on the reverse auction front. Notwithstanding the frenzy of activity down at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Commission has issued further … Continue Reading
First Confidential Status Letters advising of potentially fatal incompleteness flaws have been sent to would-be reverse auction applicants; Deadline for corrections: February 26, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) If you’re a TV licensee who submitted an application to participate in the upcoming reverse auction component of the Incentive Auction, you should be checking your mail … Continue Reading
Making things official, the FCC has announced that the Office of Management and Budget formally approved FCC Form 177 on November 19. And with the publication of that announcement in the Federal Register, the form is now “effective”. Form 177, of course, is the form that TV owners planning on participating in the reverse auction … Continue Reading
Federal Register publication starts clock on petitions for reconsideration, applications for review; Final version of form, listing of dollar values still in the works Last week we reported on the release of the FCC’s “final” version of Form 2100, Schedule 399, which is the form that will be used by repacked TV licensees to seek … Continue Reading
The Broadcast Incentive Auction reimbursement process begins to take shape. We have reported on the FCC’s efforts to alert all would-be reverse auction participants to the ins and outs of Form 177. A less immediate, but no less important, learning opportunity involves the relocation reimbursement process. Since that won’t kick in until the auction is … Continue Reading
The FCC is trying to make good on its promise to let auction participants know what’s in store for them on the auction application front (and the reimbursement front, too – but that’s for a later post). Now it’s up to broadcasters to take advantage of what the FCC has given them. As the Broadcast … Continue Reading
If you have any thoughts about participating in the reverse auction, check this out: the Commission has announced that its on-line tutorial on the pre-auction process will be up and running on November 20, 2015. It’ll cover pre-auction procedures, auction conduct and the bidding system, and will provide guidance on how to complete reverse auction … Continue Reading
Changes in baseline coverage data for several stations leads to scheduling changes for all. If you’re a TV licensee planning to participate in the upcoming reverse auction component of the Broadcast Incentive Auction, it’s time to get your calendar out … again. The FCC has announced changes to the all-important deadline for filing your Form … Continue Reading
As we reported last Friday (i.e., October 30), the FCC has asked the Office of Management and Budget to approve new Form 177, the form that broadcasters intending to participate in the reverse auction will have to file no later than 6:00 p.m. (ET) on December 18, 2015. Also as we indicated there, the FCC … 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
That loud sound you just heard was probably the "cha-ching" resulting from the latest Greenhill Report on anticipated opportunities for broadcasters in the Incentive Auction.… 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
