As 600 MHz auction approaches, FCC continues to clarify rules and procedures
WASHINGTON – Ahead of the 2016 incentive auction, wireless trade association CTIA said it wants the Federal Communications Commission to hold multiple mock auctions as a means to “test the underlying software and supply relevant samples of the types of data (and the file data structure associated with the data) that would be expected to be delivered to forward auction participants.”
CTIA said in a letter to the FCC that the mock auctions would allow “all auction participants comfort with the functioning of the incentive auction software, the data being provided to bidders, and their ability to fully understand the data to make informed bidding decisions.”
The FCC has agreed that a mock auction is a good idea, but maintains that only one such auction is necessary. The government agency stated its intention to educate bidders through webinars and tutorials, however CTIA argues that this is far from sufficient.
“CTIA believes that a single mock auction will not provide interested stakeholders the opportunity to fully understand the novel incentive auction process,” said Scott Bergmann, VP for regulatory affairs at CTIA. “CTIA believes that the incentive auction, which is inherently much more complex (two-sided auction, with both a reverse and forward auction and extensive amounts of impairment data to be provided to auction participants), should similarly allow for iterative trials to allow parties to be comfortable with the software and the sharing of impairment data well in advance of the actual incentive auction rather than a single mock auction shortly before the incentive auction commencement.”
CTIA also asked the FCC to, before the mock auction scheduled for March 29, provide auction participants with, “file formats, data dictionaries and data structure for all bidding round reports available for download (e.g. bid results, demand counts by category of PEA, overall reports on auction proceeds) as well as expected formats for bidder uploads.”
The FCC said it plans to release the Applications Procedures Public Notice early this fall that will describe the “nuts and bolts” of the application process and post-auction procedures “including the opening dates for the application filing windows, the filing deadline, the schedule for mock auctions and the information required on the auction application forms.”
The FCC said that no later than 60 days before the deadline for broadcasters to submit applications, it will release the opening bid price for the reverse auction procedure established in the APPN. This bid price will use the formula adopted in the Bidding Procedures Public Notice.
As for the forward auction procedure, which is the process that will see mobile operators bid on the spectrum being offered up by television broadcasters, the FCC said this fall it plans to release the final table of bidding units in each partial economic area so applicants can plan for making their upfront payments. The PEA-sized licenses will provide for the country to be divided into 428 markets in which licenses will be available.
