NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: January 17, 2013 Justin Cole, 202-418-8191 Email: justin.cole@fcc.gov FCC LAUNCHES NEW ENHANCED WEBSITE FOR BROADCASTERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS SEEKING TO EVALUATE THE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY OF UPCOMING INCENTIVE AUCTION Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission today launched a new and improved LEARN (Learn Everything About Reverse-Auctions Now) website with enhanced online resources as a one-stop information resource for incentive auction stakeholders, particularly the nation’s broadcasters. The new LEARN website provides easy access to a range of useful information and resources that will help broadcasters and other stakeholders make more informed business decisions about participating in the incentive auction, which the FCC anticipates holding in 2014. It also offers valuable information about the proposed incentive auction process, and the unique business opportunities created by the incentive auction. One of the many new features on the website is an 11-page summary of the broadcast incentive auction process, prepared by the Incentive Auction Task Force staff. This FCC Staff Summary highlights the key issues considered in the broadcast incentive auction notice of proposed rulemaking. Gary Epstein, Chair of the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force, said: “The new and improved LEARN website provides easy access to current, clear, concise, and accurate information designed to help the nation’s broadcasters make informed business decisions about participating in the incentive auction.” The FCC’s broadcast television spectrum incentive auction will be the first such auction ever attempted anywhere in the world. It will be a groundbreaking event for the broadcast television, mobile wireless and technology sectors of the economy. The auction will present a significant financial opportunity for many broadcasters, and it will enhance the ability of broadcasters who remain on the air to continue providing the public with diverse, local, free over-the-air television service. At the same time, the spectrum reclaimed through the incentive auction will promote economic growth and enhance America’s global competitiveness by increasing the speed, capacity and ubiquity of mobile broadband services such as 4G LTE and Wi-Fi-like networks. In turn, this will accelerate the smartphone- and tablet-led mobile revolution, benefitting millions of consumers and businesses across the country. The 2010 National Broadband Plan introduced the concept of incentive auctions as a tool to help meet the nation’s growing spectrum needs. Incentive auctions are voluntary, market-based means of repurposing spectrum by encouraging licensees to voluntarily relinquish spectrum usage rights in exchange for a share of the proceeds from an auction of new licenses to use the repurposed spectrum. Please click on the below links to access the new LEARN website, read a blog post by Gary Epstein on the new website launch, and to access the new Staff Summary: www.fcc.gov/learnprogram www.fcc.gov/blog/commission-launches-new-and-improved-incentive-auction-learn-website http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2013/db0116/DOC-318455A1.pdf -FCC- News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov.