A separate spectrum auction that ended earlier this year netted about $41 billion. Officials said the final prices were released now to allow broadcasters the mandated 60 days consideration ahead of the application deadline. The broadcast incentive auction, known formally as Auction 1000, involves television… However, another layer in the auctions, is that the FCC wishes to ensure that the smaller carriers – those less able to dig into their pockets to afford to pay for large chunks of spectrum – are not excluded by the auction by the ability of the larger networks to pay more at auction.
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The auction is set to take place in multiple parts. And in Los Angeles, the top spot goes to noncommercial KVCR at $629 million.
WCBS-TV in New York City could win as much as $900 million for going off the air, a result of its position in one of the country’s busiest markets.
Applications to participate in the reverse auction must be filed between Dec. 1 and Dec. 18, according to the notice, which said that late filings would not be accepted. “Commission staff stand ready to educate and assist applicants as they prepare”.
Officials said the opening bid prices released Friday are final and were set at a level the government deemed sufficient to encourage participation in the proceedings.
With the release of the documents, the FCC is starting to flesh out the opening economic stakes for both broadcasters and carriers.
“For potential Incentive Auction participants, today is a watershed moment”. That will be followed by the forward auction of the recovered spectrum to wireless carriers, they said. The National Association of Broadcasters said it is reviewing the figures and declined to comment further. Broadcasters will be able to make minor modifications or corrections necessary to complete their applications, and then, by March 29, 2016, each participating broadcaster that has completed an application must commit to whether it wants to sell all its spectrum, engage in channel sharing or move to a lower channel or from a UHF to a VHF channel.
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In September Wheeler told the crowd at a wireless conference in Las Vegas he was confident the auction would be “supremely successful”, and that the heads of numerous U.S.’s broadcasters and wireless carriers had already assured him they will likely participate, including 21st Century Fox. Once this is finalized, the forward auction will start – the FCC believe this will take up to three months, which takes us to the end of June 2016.
