TV-station group owner Sinclair says that  it could realize as much as $2 billion were it to put spectrum in the upcoming broadcast incentive auction with minimal impact, which it could decide to do while still being involved in the new ATSC 3.0 next generation transmission standard, which Sinclair has long promoted.

That is according to Sinclair COO David Amy on the broadcast group's second-quarter earnings conference call Wednesday (Aug. 5).

"We continue to evaluate spectrum auction opportunities," Amy said, "and based on the Greenhill report on median prices, believe there could be opportunities for us to relinquish licenses with an aggregate value of approximately $2 billion...and still participate in the potential business models that come with ATSC 3.0." He said that the eventual outcome would "depend on the many auction variables that are unclear at this time."

The FCC is planning to vote on some of those on Aug. 6, including the bidding structure for the reverse auction.

Sinclair, which once asked a federal court to block the incentive auction, has long been a proponent of broadcasters holding on to their spectrum to take advantage of new technologies that will allow them to be broadband players, and CFO Chris Ripley said its position has not changed regarding that, or its appetite for the auction. But he also said the company has a fiduciary responsibility to weigh auction participation (which can include moving channels or sharing as well as giving up spectrum entirely).

He said there is a market perception that the company does not want to participate, which Sinclair wanted to clarify.

What he said had changed recently was that more specifics have come out about the auction to allow Sinclair to quantify for investors what the potential for the broadcaster could be and help "solidify our optimal strategy," which is to maximize shareholder value" and "the auction is a means to do that."

Ripley said the $2 billion analysis does not "contemplate" the impact of channel sharing, though he said the company was in active discussions about sharing, "which could only make the outcome better," he added.

The FCC circulated its agenda for the Dec. 11 meeting and there is no vote on a new Open Internet order on the list.

That is not a big surprise. Top aide to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Gigi Sohn had signaled December was unlikely and FCC staffers have reportedly said they need more time to vet the legal implications of various proposals, particularly involving Title II reclassification. But according to sources inside and outside the FCC, January is probably equally a stretch, with most looking at March as the most likely month for a vote on the new rules.

Also not on the agenda is a vote on the Media Bureau proposal to reclassify some over-the-top video providers as MVPD's, at least to the degree that they would have program access rights to vertically integrated cable programming and to negotiate for TV station signal carriage.

Some Washington watchers had been looking for that item, but an FCC source said it would likely remain off the meeting agenda. It has already been circulated for a vote by the other commissioners.

The agenda does include the expected item on raising the contributions to E-rate by $1.5 billion, a vote on a public notice seeking comment on details of the broadcaster incentive auction, and an order finalizing the move to the next phase of the Connect America Fund migration of Universal Service Fund phone subsidies to broadband.