The commission turns down LPTV broadcaster Latina Broadcasters of Daytona Beach’s request to put its upcoming spectrum auction on hold while Latina’s request to take part in it is considered.
FCC Denies Spectrum Auction Stay Request
The FCC has said no to Latina Broadcasters of Daytona Beach, owner of low-power WDYB-CD Daytona Beach, Fla., which as part of a request to participate in the incentive auction, asked the commission to stay the March 29 start of the auction until it receives a decision.
The commission said that it “has devoted considerable time and resources since the enactment of the Spectrum Act to preparing for the incentive auction, an unprecedented proceeding involving numerous complex and highly technical issues, representing the culmination of four years of work by the commission and dozens of members of its staff, with significant ramifications for the nation’s economy and consumers.
“The beginning of the auction is now only five weeks away. A delay would disserve both consumers and eligible entities who have developed business plans based on the current schedule, including securing financing and deferring other business plans.”
Comments (4)
Ellen Samrock says:
February 26, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Latina Broadcasters did file a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday. So we haven’t heard the last of this matter yet. When you consider that an estimated 87 million dollars is at stake here, Latina Broadcasters has every reason to push their case hard and exhaust any legal avenue open to them.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 28, 2016 at 11:54 am
Latina – or any LPTV for that matter, has very limited funds for Attorneys. As Keesha found out, funding a lawsuit is expensive. And I doubt Taylor Swift will be giving LPTV $250,000.
Ellen Samrock says:
February 28, 2016 at 8:31 pm
I have no idea what Latina Broadcasters financial resources are (and I doubt you do either), but I do know that they had HCH,Legal of Bethesda, MD file a Petitioner’s Emergency Motion For Stay Pending Appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals on February 26. Videohouse, Inc., another Class A station owner, filed a similar petition on the 25th using a law firm out of Arlington, VA. I don’t know where your 250K figure came from but based on the FCC’s own estimates, the auction value of their stations is in the millions and obviously these station owners have the resources to fight for inclusion in the incentive auction.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 29, 2016 at 11:11 am
Clearly you do not keep up with current events in the real world then. I DO know that filing petition is cheap. Continuing to fight it is an expense LPTVs will be unable to do.