FCC Auction Bidding Preview Opens

Starting Monday at 10 a.m., the FCC is previewing the bidding process for TV station bidders in the reverse portion of the spectrum auction, which begins May 31.

During the preview period, which extends through 6 p.m. on May 24, authorized bidders only can log in and view the list of the stations they have been authorized to make bids on (that is the terminology, though what they are doing is signaling the price at which they will give up the spectrum; low price wins).

They can also check out the bidding status of each station, the initial relinquishment option (give up spectrum or move to a new channel, if possible), and various other options.

Next up, for bidders only, will be a May 24 workshop (open to the public) on the bidding system, followed by a mock auction for all bidders on May 25-26.

"A bidder should take advantage of the mock auction to practice taking actions it may wish to take during actual bidding in the clock phase of Auction 1001 and to further familiarize itself with the bidding software," the FCC says.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.