Former EOBC director asks FCC to End Quiet Period

Former Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition (EOBC) and spectrum sales advocate Preston Padden called on the Federal Communications Commission to “immediately end” the commission’s “quiet period” that prohibited communication among incentive auction participants in order to avoid collusion. Among the quiet period rules are requiring applicants to say nothing beyond the fact that they did or did not file an initial application to participate in the auction, and to not reveal the existence of any channel-sharing agreements.

Padden gave as his reasons for this request:

• Because all auction bidding by broadcasters has concluded.
• Because it would harm no party, could materially expedite the post-auction transition and could give broadcasters more time to construct their new facilities, the should permit 100% voluntary temporary channel sharing.
• Because it would harm no party and could materially expedite the post- auction transition, the commission should make available to any interested party all commission tools and data that could help to identify stations that present a “bottleneck” to the transition.”