STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL Re: Incentive Auction Task Force Update (August 9, 2013) As today’s presentation makes clear, our incentive auction team is laying the groundwork for our wireless incentive auctions. Thanks to their good efforts, we are paving the way for a historic development in auction policy. We are poised to lead the world in demonstrating novel ways to reclaim spectrum and repurpose old airwaves for new mobile broadband use. This is exciting and if we are honest—extremely complex. Yet simplicity has its virtues. This is true in the incentive auction process, where we should strive to streamline the complicated labyrinth of decisions required to put our rules in place. But it is also true in statements from this bench. So I want to focus today on two simple objectives that I believe should guide us as we move ahead. First, transparency. Openness matters. The virtuous efforts of our incentive auction experts will yield no confidence if their work is held in obscurity. So that is why the recent release of repacking data is so terrific—and so important. It is the foundation for the development of repacking software and other key decisions. So I hope all stakeholders will scour what we have shared for accuracy and help us ensure that it is a solid base from which we can build. I think we also can enhance transparency in other ways. I continue to believe that holding a series of en banc hearings in which stakeholders can present to the Commission—and the Commissioners themselves can ask questions—would be useful and productive. I also believe that public-private working groups could benefit our decision-making on issues like international coordination. Finally, as I have said before, I think a general calendar identifying what decisions have been made, what decisions remain, and what challenges lie ahead would provide guidance for all stakeholders. It would enhance trust in our process and increase confidence in our ability to get the job done and on time. Second, participation. As has been said before, we do not want to hold a party and have no one show up. Voluntary participation is essential. I continue to believe that reaching out directly to every broadcaster in the top 30 markets in this country is prudent. After all, this is where our mobile broadband needs are the greatest. I also think we should help develop a channel sharing pilot in advance of the auction. This could be accomplished with either commercial or noncommercial stations. Let us demonstrate upfront that sharing is truly viable. Some stakeholders have suggested that the Commission could ease regulatory burdens on broadcasters that commit in advance to participate in the auctions. I know there are knotty legal issues here, but I think we should untangle them—because creative ideas should be encouraged and this Commission should respond by acting quickly and being creative in return. Thank you to the incentive auction team for all of your efforts to date and for this great presentation today. Your work is incredibly important.