P PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information: 202-418-0500 Internet: www.fcc.gov TTY: 888-835-5322 DA 16-284 March 17, 2016 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU AND INCENTIVE AUCTION TASK FORCE SEND NOTIFICATIONS REGARDING STATUS OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE REVERSE AUCTION (AUCTION 1001) APPLICANTS DEEMED COMPLETE TO RECEIVE MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING INITIAL COMMITMENTS AU Docket No. 14-252 GN Docket No. 12-268 WT Docket No. 12-269 1. By this Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) and the Incentive Auction Task Force (Task Force) announce that they will be sending today to the contact person for each applicant for participation in the reverse auction (Auction 1001), a confidential letter (the Second Confidential Status Letter) with information on the status of its application as well as the status of each station that it selected.1 Those applicants whose application and at least one selected station have been deemed complete in the Second Confidential Status Letter will be permitted to participate in the next step of Auction 1001, making an initial commitment. For such applicants, the package containing the Second Confidential Status Letter will also include materials needed to make an initial commitment for the reverse auction along with additional information and instructions.2 For each station for which it intends to bid in the reverse auction, an applicant that has submitted a timely and complete application must commit, at the opening price, to a preferred relinquishment option during the initial commitment window, which will open at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Monday, March 28, 2016, and close at 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 29, 2016.3 Initial commitments must be submitted prior to the close of the initial commitment window. Late initial commitments will not be accepted. 1 The confidential letter and package will require a signature for delivery. The signature is required in order to confirm receipt. It is not necessary that the person signing be the contact person identified in the application. 2 Each applicant whose application and at least one selected station have been deemed “complete” in the Second Confidential Status Letter will receive instructions on how to submit an initial commitment and SecurID® tokens for each of the applicant’s authorized bidders. For additional information regarding the confidential status letters and SecurID® tokens, see Application Procedures for Broadcast Incentive Auction Scheduled to Begin on March 29, 2016; Updates and Other Supplemental Information, AU Docket No. 14-252, GN Docket No. 12-268, WT Docket No. 12-269, Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd 14182, 14183, para. 6 (WTB 2015). Each of the public notices referred to in this Public Notice is available in the Documents section of the Auction 1001 website (www.fcc.gov/auctions/1001). 3 See Initial Commitment and Online Tutorial Information for Broadcast Incentive Auction Schedule to Begin on March 29, 2016, AU Docket No. 14-252, GN Docket No. 12-268, WT Docket No. 12-269, Public Notice, DA 16-199 (WTB Feb. 25, 2016) (Initial Commitment Information Public Notice). 22. Any applicant that has not received the Second Confidential Status Letter package by 12:00 noon ET on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, should contact the Auctions Hotline directly at (717) 338-2868. The contact person for each applicant is responsible for ensuring that each authorized bidder receives all the information and materials. 3. If an application has been deemed incomplete or otherwise ineligible in the Second Confidential Status Letter, the applicant will not be permitted to make an initial commitment with respect to any of its selected stations. If the application has been deemed incomplete as to any particular station, the applicant will not be able to make an initial commitment for that station.4 An applicant that cannot or does not make an initial commitment before 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, cannot become qualified to bid in the clock rounds of the reverse auction.5 4. Before the initial commitment window opens, the initial commitment component of the Auction System will be available during a preview period. During this preview period, each authorized bidder for an applicant will be able to log in and view the list of stations for which he or she may make initial commitments and each station’s associated relinquishment options. The initial commitment preview period commences at 10:00 a.m. ET on March 24, 2016, and remains open until the initial commitment window opens at 10:00 a.m. ET on March 28, 2016.6 We recommend that users log in to the initial commitment module during the preview period to verify that they are able to access the system.7 FCC Auctions Technical Support is available at (877) 480-3201, option nine; (202) 414-1250; or (202) 414-1255 (text telephone (TTY)); hours of service are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.8 5. Based on the initial commitments, the Auction System will determine an initial clearing target for the incentive auction. After the initial clearing target has been announced, the Bureau and Task Force will send a confidential letter (the Final Confidential Status Letter) to each reverse auction applicant that was permitted to make an initial commitment to inform it of its status with respect to the clock rounds of the reverse auction.9 Those applicants deemed qualified bidders are automatically registered for the auction and will be sent instructions for participating in the clock rounds with the Final 4 See Application Procedures for Broadcast Incentive Auction Scheduled to Begin on 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, 30 FCC Rcd 11034, 11055, para. 63 n.113 (WTB 2015) (Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice). 5 Id. at 11052, para. 49. 6 Initial Commitment Information Public Notice at 2, para. 4. 7 Id. 8 All calls to Technical Support are recorded. 9 See Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd at 11056-57, para. 67. The letter will notify the applicant, for each station included in the application, either that (1) the station is qualified to participate in the clock rounds of the reverse auction; (2) the station is not qualified because no initial commitment was made; (3) the commitment(s) made by the applicant for the station could not be accommodated; or (4) the Auction System determined that the station is not needed to meet the initial or any subsequent clearing target. Id. 3Confidential Status Letter.10 Educational materials for the clock rounds of the reverse auction will be available in the coming weeks.11 6. We remind applicants that any change that constitutes a major amendment to an application is not permitted,12 and that the electronic Form 177 will not permit an applicant to make modifications to certain fields in its application (e.g., change the applicant’s name, change its station and/or relinquishment bid option selections, or the certifying official). Any applicant that needs to make permissible minor changes other than administrative changes (e.g., deletion and addition of authorized bidders (to a maximum of three), revision of addresses and telephone numbers of an applicant and/or its contact person, and changes to a responsible party) must do so using the procedures described in the Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice.13 7. For general auction questions, contact Linda Sanderson, Linda.Sanderson@fcc.gov, (717) 338-2868. For reverse auction legal questions, contact Erin Griffith, Erin.Griffith@fcc.gov, (202) 418- 0660, or Kathryn Hinton, Kathryn.Hinton@fcc.gov, (202) 418-0660. Press contact: Charles Meisch, Charles.Meisch@fcc.gov, (202) 418-2943. Additional information for applicants is available at the Auction 1001 web page (www.fcc.gov/auctions/1001). – FCC – 10 Id. at 11057, para. 68. 11 See Initial Commitment Information Public Notice at 1, para. 2. 12 47 CFR § 1.2204(d)(3). But see Guidance Regarding the Prohibition of Certain Communications During the Incentive Auction, AU Docket No. 14-252, GN Docket No. 12-268, WT Docket No. 12-269, Public Notice, DA 15-1129, at 10, para. 23 (WTB Oct. 6, 2015) (waiving the bar on assignments and transfers under limited circumstances). 13 See Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd at 11053, para. 52.