WASHINGTON-Yet again the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rescheduled the auction of spectrum licenses being made available by the television transition to digital to 19 June, 2002.
The auction was last scheduled for 12 September. The wireless industry had urged the FCC to hold off on the auction until it could make a definitive decision on various contentious relocation issues associated with the 700 MHz band. In addition to being contentious, the issues also pit the powerful wireless industry against the even more powerful broadcasting industry.
There has been an ongoing controversy since the 700 MHz band was first designated to be auctioned with the transition to digital. While broadcasters are scheduled to exit the spectrum involved-channels 60-69 on the TV dial-by 2007; it is unlikely they will do so. In 1997, Congress inserted language in the Balanced Budget Act that said they were not required to leave until 85 percent of the homes in their area were capable of receiving a digital signal.
While the FCC had originally been scheduled to auction off this spectrum in 2000, it has repeatedly delayed this auction while it attempted to give the wireless industry more certainty as to when the spectrum they will bid on in such an auction would be available for use.
