Under the FCC’s incentive auction proposal, spectrum repurposed for wireless services during the auction would have to be cleared no later than 39 months after the agency “repacking process becomes effective.
FCC To Vote On Auction Rules On May 15
The FCC is planning a May 15 vote on the basic ground rules for the broadcast incentive auction, clearing the way for the agency to try to meet its goal of holding the auctions by the middle of next year, senior FCC officials confirmed Friday.
Under the FCC’s game plan, spectrum repurposed for wireless services during the auction would have to be cleared no later than 39 months after the agency “repacking process becomes effective,” according to an FCC fact sheet summarizing the key provisions in the regulations being proposed. (Read the full fact sheet here.)
The proposed rules also would require broadcasters that agree to give up their licenses or to sell their spectrum and then share channels with other broadcasters to stop operating on their existing channels within three months of getting their auction payments, according to the FCC fact.
The fact sheet also says that the agency will make “all reasonable efforts” to preserve the coverage area and population” of broadcasters who elect to remain in the broadcasting business and are required to move to new channels during the channel repacking process.
In a blog posted Friday on the FCC’s website, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said that the agency would “ensure that broadcasters have all of the information they need to make informed business decisions about whether and how to participate.” (Read Wheeler’s blog post here.)
Comments (8)
Ellen Samrock says:
April 18, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Since neither broadcasters nor the FCC can agree as to what “all reasonable efforts” means in terms of coverage area and population, you know this whole process is not going to go smoothly.
Christina Perez says:
April 18, 2014 at 1:45 pm
The 2014 reiteration of past broadcast industry “Save Free TV” media campaign must accelerate, with all local stations pledging to run campaign ads throughout all dayparts. These spots are ready for air — now do it.
Joe Adalian says:
April 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm
Wow! I beat him to the punch. Here is my homage to King James C….
I feel Sinclair’s deal to acquire the TV stations from Allbritton will crash and burn very badly and is the Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate of TV M&A deals tying with Young’s purchase of KRON. I favored the idea of wanting Hearst to acquire the Allbritton stations including WSET, WCIV, KATV, KTUL, and WBMA/WCFT/WJSU with purchasing WABM to help relay WBMA signal on a full power WABM DT2 digital subchannel to the Birmingham inner city proper. Hearst can give WJLA to ABC for WTVD to keep WBAL in Baltimore in which ABC use WJLA for live streaming on the web to join their other ABC network owned and operated stations and give WHTM and existing WMOR to Scripps for KMGH to keep WMAR in Baltimore. Meanwhile Sinclair Broadcast Group continues to engage in old rigid Paramount Pictures block booking and old RKO General bribery behavioral practices by forcing Buckeye cable subscribers to pay $2 for the privilege and right to carry WNWO and to carry the not yet launch cable news channel by taking WJLA’s News Channel 8 into a national news channel for Sinclair that isn’t yet on the air that Sinclair wants all the cable and satellite to carry the cable channel on cable and satellite basic tier as part of all retransmission consent contracts to put their news and opinions on the planned news channel that Sinclair will launch if their planned acquisition of TV stations from Allbritton were to go through the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ in order for Buckeye Cable to carry WNWO again and it will means that David Smith, and Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair will refuse and fail to allow Buckeye Cable to carry WNWO without Sinclair permission for the privilege and right to carry WNWO till Buckeye Cable is willing to have its subscribers be willing to pay $2 per subscribers for WNWO and used it to help launch the new cable news channel along with costs associated with Sinclair’s planned acquisition of Allbritton not yet approved by the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ all under the order of David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair on the Buckeye CableSystem over in Toledo, Ohio. If Sinclair’s acquisition of TV station goes through, I feel David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair will fail to allow all the small, medium, and large size and scale MSOs to carry their stations without Sinclair’s permission til the MSOs is willing to agreed to pay $2 dollars for the privilege and right to carry Sinclair’s stations and agreed to carry the new cable news channel that Sinclair is using to take WJLA’s News Channel 8 into a national news channel for Sinclair that isn’t yet on the air that Sinclair wants all the cable and satellite to carry the cable channel on cable and satellite basic tier as part of all retransmission consent contracts by engaging in old rigid Paramount Pictures block booking and old RKO General bribery behavioral practices in retransmission consent deals to put their news and opinions on the planned news channel that Sinclair will launch if their planned acquisition of TV stations from Allbritton were to go through the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ by gambling and self destructing their business future themselves by playing Russian Roulette. I feel Sinclair’s deal to acquire the TV stations from Allbritton will crash and burn very badly and is the Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate of TV M&A deals tying with Young’s purchase of KRON. I favored the idea of wanting Hearst to acquire the Allbritton stations including WSET, WCIV, KATV, KTUL, and WBMA/WCFT/WJSU with purchasing WABM to help relay WBMA signal on a full power WABM DT2 digital subchannel to the Birmingham inner city proper. Hearst can give WJLA to ABC for WTVD to keep WBAL in Baltimore in which ABC use WJLA for live streaming on the web to join their other ABC network owned and operated stations and give WHTM and existing WMOR to Scripps for KMGH to keep WMAR in Baltimore. Meanwhile Sinclair Broadcast Group continues to engage in old rigid Paramount Pictures block booking and old RKO General bribery behavioral practices by forcing Buckeye cable subscribers to pay $2 for the privilege and right to carry WNWO and to carry the not yet launch cable news channel by taking WJLA’s News Channel 8 into a national news channel for Sinclair that isn’t yet on the air that Sinclair wants all the cable and satellite to carry the cable channel on cable and satellite basic tier as part of all retransmission consent contracts to put their news and opinions on the planned news channel that Sinclair will launch if their planned acquisition of TV stations from Allbritton were to go through the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ in order for Buckeye Cable to carry WNWO again and it will means that David Smith, and Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair will refuse and fail to allow Buckeye Cable to carry WNWO without Sinclair permission for the privilege and right to carry WNWO till Buckeye Cable is willing to have its subscribers be willing to pay $2 per subscribers for WNWO and used it to help launch the new cable news channel along with costs associated with Sinclair’s planned acquisition of Allbritton not yet approved by the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ all under the order of David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair on the Buckeye CableSystem over in Toledo, Ohio. If Sinclair’s acquisition of TV station goes through, I feel David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair will fail to allow all the small, medium, and large size and scale MSOs to carry their stations without Sinclair’s permission til the MSOs is willing to agreed to pay $2 dollars for the privilege and right to carry Sinclair’s stations and agreed to carry the new cable news channel that Sinclair is using to take WJLA’s News Channel 8 into a national news channel for Sinclair that isn’t yet on the air that Sinclair wants all the cable and satellite to carry the cable channel on cable and satellite basic tier as part of all retransmission consent contracts by engaging in old rigid Paramount Pictures block booking and old RKO General bribery behavioral practices in retransmission consent deals to put their news and opinions on the planned news channel that Sinclair will launch if their planned acquisition of TV stations from Allbritton were to go through the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ by gambling and self destructing their business future themselves by playing Russian Roulette. I feel the executives at ABC should think about abolishing the pay wall set up to force online users to pay to view ABC shows online hours after being first run on ABC TV or wait till 8 days to view the shows online for free as the only last resort way to help ABC to do better in the ratings than making it go worse. Lockwood would be better off selling NBC, ABC, and CW Plus affiliate KTEN to Nexstar, CW affiliates WHDF and WCWG to Tribune. Morgan Murphy would be better off selling KXLY and KXMN, KAPP and KVEW, WKBT, and WISC to Journal, Harry Pappas and his Pappas Telecasting would be better off selling KHGI and KWNB and the LMA for KFXL, and KCWI and KDMI to Nexstar as a way for Nexstar to also purchase KLKN from Philip Lombardo and his Citadel Communications to consolidate with KHGI, KWNB, and KFXL and consolidate KCWI and KDMI with WOI. Bonten would be better off selling KECI and KCFW, KTVM, KRCR, KAEF, KCVU, KBVU, and KRVU and KZVU to NPG, and KTXS and KTES LP, KTXE LP, WCYB and WEMT, WCTI, and WFXI and WYDO to Raycom. I feel that Brian Roberts and Ralph Roberts and their Comcast-National Broadcasting Compnay Universal are engaging in old Paramount Pictures block booking behavioral practices and old RKO General bribery behavioral practices in dealing with all the cable, satellite, and telecos in retransmission consent deals in which Comcast NBCU forces them to carry all the channel Comcast NBCU controls in order for them to carry The Weather Channel that I feel Comcast NBCU is doing it to DirecTV in which in order for DirecTV to continue to carry The Weather Channel is that DirecTV is forced and is required to carry every channel Comcast NBCU controlled channel so DirecTV can carry The Weather Channel. WRC, WTTG, WJLA, WUSA, WDCA, WDCW and educational WETA in Washington and WMAR, WBAL, WJZ, WUTB, WBFF, WNUV, and Maryland Public Broadcasting stations WMPB in Baltimore and WMPT in Annapolis predicted over the air signals overlap in each other TV DMA’s. Walt Disney/ABC buying WJLA would be terrific since ABC already operates a news bureau in Washington, DC and for competitive reasons for both the Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland TV DMA. No to Scripps due to owning ABC station WMAR, no to Hearst due to owning NBC station WBAL, and a big no no for Sinclair (Sincrap) due to owning FOX station WBFF, and controlling and managing CW station WNUV under Cunningham, and NYNET station WUTB under Deerfield and all of them with CBS O&O WJZ can be reachable over the air in Washington, DC at times. I would consider WBFF moving to channel 13 as it’s virtual and RF channel with WJZ moving to channel 45 as it’s virtual channel and channel 46 as it’s RF channel. I would be okay with Hearst getting KATV, KTUL, WSET, and WCIV, with Nexstar getting WHTM and Sinclair transfer the license of WLYH to Cunningham and continue to fully owned WHP, and with Sinclair getting the combined WBMA LD/WJSU/WCFT with the intent of using the the combined WBMA LD/WJSU/WCFT to program FOX on it’s DT1 channel and MYNET on it’s DT2 channel while WABM continues to program MYNET on it’s DT 1 channel and add FOX on it’s DT2 channel. Sinclair keeps the CW affiliation on WTTO and WDBB. Sinclair could transfer the license of WTTO and WDBB to Cunningham and WABM to Deerfield while Sinclair fully owns the combined WBMA LD/WJSU/WCFT combo. Raycom picks up the ABC affiliation and airs it on WBRC again since Fall of 1996.
Joanne McDonald says:
April 18, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Thanks, but honestly feel the only station in Nebraska that has the greatest risk of going off the air and going dark is the KFXL station in Lincoln as part of being within the NTV Network chain of stations. The channel repacking, channel sharing, and spectrum auction would force the KFXL station to go dark even when it’s license expires on June 1, 2014 according to the FCC website. If NTV wanted to continue to have their FOX station in the Lincoln area if the KFXL station in Lincoln shuts down by itself on the date of June 1, 2014, it would have to make a channel sharing deal with KLKN in Lincoln and Citadel whereas KLKN would continue to run their own ABC affiliated station on their main DT1 channel with KFXL FOX Nebraska being on KLKN DT 2 channel in order for NTV and Pappas to better compete with the now Sinclair controlled KPTM from Omaha whose over the air signal reaches Lincoln at times. If Philip Lombardo and his Citadel Communication got control of NTV and KFXL or make a full total deal with NTV with Philip Lombardo and his Citadel Communications having KLKN with ABC and Harry Pappas and his Pappas Telecasting plus it would result in KLKN from Lincoln being ABC on it’s DT1 digital channel while NTV as KHGI and KWNB from Kearney and Hayes Center being FOX on it’s DT1 digital channel but still be able to carry both KLKN as ABC and NTV as KHGI/KWNB as FOX in full 16:9 widescreen HDTV on both stations. KLKN would relay NTV as a FOX station on it’s DT2 digital channel while NTV as KHGI and KWNB would relay KLKN as a ABC station on it’s DT2 digital channel. Live Well Network would move over to a DT3 digital channel and could get shown in 16:9 widescreen SDTV over on both KLKN and NTV as KHGI and KWNB coming from KLKN. The downside to that is that what is the best of KFXL would get folded into their senior partner parent station in the LMA NTV as KHGI and KWNB with while what is left of KFXL possibly being picked up by 10/11 to air on their sister station KSNB 10/11 Central Nebraska and KNOP would have to shut down their own FOX station in order for NTV to still serve the North Platte area and as the FOX station in that area with KNOP being able to fully transmit 10/11 North Platte on it’s DT2 digital channel with Gray taking control of KNOP and KNPL LD 10/11 North Platte with K11TW being known as KIIT going dark to make room for NTV carrying KHGI/KWNB FOX and KLKN ABC over on KHGI CD in North Platte. In reality, it would actually cost a grand total of $3.50 for Pappas to keep the ABC and FOX affiliations with local and syndicated programming on NTV at $2 while for Citadel to keep the ABC affiliation with local and syndicated programming on KLKN at $1.50 for pay TV subscribers on separate stations altogether. NTV would be better off shutting down KFXL FOX Nebraska as a separate station by itself and fold much of KFXL FOX Nebraska into NTV and is affiliated with FOX and make a deal with KLKN to give the ABC affiliation to them with subscribers paying $3 per month for pay TV subscribers with KLKN just being ABC and NTV just being FOX within the entire Lincoln-Grand Island-Hastings-Kearney and North Platte TV DMAs combined.
none none says:
April 18, 2014 at 4:25 pm
WOW – Two people above with WAY TOO MUCH time on their hands…
Andrea Rader says:
April 18, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Either that or JC has a split personality; neither development is welcome.
Rick Louder says:
April 21, 2014 at 2:39 am
I don’t think that this will work properly,what they want .
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Wagner Pereira says:
April 21, 2014 at 4:45 am
That link makes more sense than the psychobabble above.