PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: https://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 15-1296 Released: November 12, 2015 INCENTIVE AUCTION TASK FORCE RELEASES REVISED BASELINE DATA AND PRICES FOR REVERSE AUCTION; ANNOUNCES REVISED FILING WINDOW DATES AU Docket No. 14-252 GN Docket No. 12-268 WT Docket No. 12-269 The Incentive Auction Task Force is today releasing a revised version of Appendix I of the Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice, the coverage area and population served of each television station to be protected in the repacking process. 1 The revision corrects information for a small number of stations, and adjusts population data for stations that are affected by these corrections. 2 We are also updating the constraint files (http://data.fcc.gov/download/incentive-auctions/Constraint_Files/) that will be used in the repacking process to reflect these corrections and adjustments. The revised data will be used to determine feasible channel assignments for each station. These revisions serve the Commission’s statutory mandate to “make all reasonable efforts” to preserve each station’s coverage area and population served. 3 The Task Force is also releasing revised reverse auction opening bid prices that have been recalculated to reflect the corrected baseline and constraint files. 4 The opening bid prices were recalculated using the formula adopted by the Commission in the Bidding Procedures PN. 1 Application Procedures for Broadcast Incentive Auction Scheduled to Begin March 29, 2016; Technical Formulas for Competitive Bidding, AU Docket No. 14-252, GN Docket No. 12-268, WT Docket No. 12-269, Public Notice, DA 15-1183, Appendix I—Final Baseline (released Oct. 15, 2015) (Auction 1000 Application Procedures PN). 2 The stations with corrected information are WNJU, Linden, New Jersey (new geographic location and parameters); KOHD, Bend, Oregon (channel 51 move); KPXE-TV, Kansas City, Missouri (channel 51 move); WPXA-TV, Rome, Georgia (channel 51 move); KWSU-TV, Pullman, Washington (antenna height change); and KEMO-TV, Santa Rosa, California (discrepancy between station’s DTS facilities and information in Commission databases). In addition, WAZE, Madisonville, Kentucky submitted a request to voluntary downgrade from Class A to low power status on October 16, 2015, which the Commission confirmed on October 19, 2015. We note that the correction of WNJU’s geographic location to One World Trade Center will make it the UHF station with the highest volume (i.e., combination of interference-free population and constraints) and, therefore, the highest opening bid price. That change will also affect the population data of the largest number of other stations. 3 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-96, § 6403(b)(2) (codified at 47 U.S.C. § 1452), 126 Stat. 156 (2012). The Commission has already noted that revisions to the baseline data may be necessary prior to the commencement of incentive auction. See Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions, GN Docket No. 12-268, Report & Order, 29 FCC Rcd 6567, 6667, para. 225; 6722, para. 363 (2014) (Incentive Auction R&O). 4 By authorizing revisions to the baseline data up to the commencement of the auction, when changing opening bid prices would be infeasible, see note 3, the Commission recognized that such revisions could be made independently of the opening prices. Here, however, changes are feasible without delaying the auction’s scheduled start date of March 29, 2016 or depriving broadcasters of at least 60 days’ advance notice of their opening prices. In order to (continued….) Federal Communications Commission DA 15-1296 2 In order to provide broadcasters with at least 60 days after the release of the recalculated prices to evaluate whether to apply to voluntarily participate in the reverse auction in light of such prices, 5 we hereby announce a revised filing window for FCC Form 177, the reverse auction application form. 6 Specifically, the FCC Form 177 filing window will open at 12:00 noon Eastern Time on December 8, 2015, and close at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 12, 2016. Applications must be filed prior to the closing of the filing window. 7 Given the revised reverse auction filing window, we also announce a revised filing window for Form 175, the forward auction application form. 8 Specifically, the FCC Form 175 filing window will open at 12:00 noon Eastern Time on January 26, 2016, and close at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 9, 2016. Applications must be filed prior to the closing of the filing window. 9 For further information, contact Mary Margaret Jackson at (202) 418-3641 or MaryMargaret.Jackson@fcc.gov; Mark Colombo at (202) 418-7611 or Mark.Colombo@fcc.gov; or Martin Doczkat at (202) 418-2435 or Martin.Doczkat@fcc.gov. 10 -FCC- (Continued from previous page) promote certainty among broadcasters and avoid delaying the auction, consistent with the goal of “removing barriers to [] voluntary participation” in the reverse auction, Incentive Auction R&O, 29 FCC Rcd at 6570, para. 2, we do not anticipate recalculating prices again in the event that additional revisions to the baseline data are necessary. 5 See Procedures for Competitive Bidding in Auction 1000, Including Initial Clearing Target Determination, Qualifying to Bid, and Bidding in Auctions 1001 (Reverse) and 1002 (Forward), AU Docket No. 14-252, GN Docket No. 12-268, MB Docket No. 15-146, Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd 8975, para. 2 (2015). 6 See Auction 1000 Application Procedures PN at para. 19. 7 Each licensee seeking to participate in the reverse auction must file an FCC Form 177 electronically via the Auction System prior to 6:00 p.m. ET on January 12, 2016. See id. at para. 23. 8 See id. at para. 89. 9 Every entity and individual seeking to bid in the forward auction must file an FCC Form 175 electronically via the Auction System prior to 6:00 p.m. ET on February 9, 2016. See id. at para. 93. 10 This Public Notice is being issued pursuant to sections 0.31, 0.61, and 0.131 by the Office of Engineering and Technology, the Media Bureau, and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, members of the Incentive Auction Task Force.