FCC Speeds Reverse Auction for Stage Four on Dec 13

The Federal Communications Commission is hoping the fourth time is the charm. The commission said that it will start stage four of the reverse portion of the broadcast incentive auction Dec 13, as planned, and when it is done that spectrum will be uniform across all markets and totally unimpaired.

The FCC is also goosing the process with shorter rounds to begin with (one hour instead of two) and will move more swiftly (starting Dec. 19) from two rounds to three rounds per day. In this round, the spectrum-clearing target is 84 MHz, down from 108 MHz in stage three, 114 MHz in stage two and 126 MHz in stage one as the FCC tries to find a clearing target/price point that broadcasters and wireless companies can agree on. The auction is designed for multiple rounds.