CTIA Asks FCC to Give Broadcasters More Auction Flexibility

Wireless companies have historically been big supporters of the Federal Communication Commission's incentive auction, but they have a number of bones to pick with the way the FCC's has teed up the upcoming incentive auction framework and says FCC it should make it easier for broadcasters to participate. "The Commission can and should do more to provide broadcasters with the incentive and ability to participate, including by providing broadcasters with greater flexibility to adjust their bids during the auction," CTIA said.

And while it was the National Association of Broadcasters that used to advise the FCC not to rush the auction, wireless carriers are now cautioning the FCC about getting it done right rather than done fast. CTIA: The Wireless Associations, in reply comments to the FCC, says the FCC should make broadcasters' election of auction options more of a two-way street. Currently, there are several ways to be compensated, including by giving up spectrum and getting out of the business, sharing a channel, moving from a UHF to a VHF channel, or moving from a high VHF assignment to a low assignment. As the FCC has proposed the reverse auction framework, a broadcaster can decrease its election, say from giving up its channel and exiting the business to giving up a channel but sharing with another station. But they can't move in the other direction. CTIA says that broadcasters should instead be able to move up or down that sliding scale of participation, and that the clearing of more spectrum and increased participation that might prompt, trumps concerns about the complication factor.