Media Contact: 
Katie Gorscak, (202) 418-2156
katie.gorscak@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

POST-INCENTIVE AUCTION TRANSITION SUCCESSFULLY 
MEETS 39-MONTH DEADLINE
Makes Spectrum Available for 5G Wireless Services and Applications, 
Spurring Job Creation and Economic Growth

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2020—The Federal Communications Commission announced today that the post-incentive auction transition has successfully reached the July 13, 2020 deadline established for television stations to move off their pre-auction channel assignments.  This milestone signals that all of the valuable low-band airwaves sold in the ground-breaking broadcast incentive auction are now available for wireless mobile broadband services.  This newly licensed 600 MHz band spectrum is already benefiting millions of U.S. consumers, as it is being used to provide wireless service, including 5G, across the country.  And with the end of the transition, the broader deployment of this spectrum will further help close the digital divide in rural America, ease congestion on wireless networks, promote the widespread availability of 5G, and spur job creation and economic growth.

“Today represents a milestone in the Commission’s effort to repurpose spectrum to meet the demands of wireless consumers,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.  “I want to thank the broadcast and wireless industries, the tower crews, the equipment manufacturers, and the radio frequency engineers who support them for the hard work they have done over the past 39 months to make the benefits of the broadcast incentive auction a reality.  I also want to thank the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force, along with a team of professionals from across the Commission, who worked in a proactive, flexible, and collaborative way with industry throughout the transition.  I appreciate their deep commitment to public service and their dedication to making this challenging project a success for American consumers.”

As a critical part of clearing the new 600 MHz band for mobile broadband use, 987 full-power and Class A TV stations were reassigned to new TV channels.  The Commission created a 10-phase transition plan that solved interference problems and accounted for limited resources, seasonal constraints, and other factors to assure that the spectrum could be available by July 13, 2020.  The plan operated successfully.  Over 99% of the 987 repacked TV stations have successfully transitioned off their pre-auction channels, and the remaining stations that were granted short extensions due to unforeseeable circumstances are now scheduled to transition before the end of the summer.  These remaining stations are currently located in the portion of the band allocated for broadcast television or the duplex gap, and none have delayed or will delay the deployment of wireless services in the new 600 MHz wireless band.  

Staff from the Task Force, Media Bureau, and Office of Managing Director will continue to work closely with stations to distribute reimbursements for relocation expenses and close out the $2.75 billion TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund. 

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Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov 

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. Cir. 1974).