WASHINGTON—The FCC has announced the agenda for its August meeting, and with the scheduled C-band auction scheduled to be only four months away at that point, that will be at the top of their to-do list.
The C-band auction is part of the process of clearing the lower 280 MHz of spectrum that was previously used for satellite and cable operations for the development of 5G. Having slated the auction for Dec. 8, the FCC says that it is on track to meet this deadline and, having circulated final draft procedures, the commissioners are set to vote during the meeting. This also comes after the FCC and a U.S. Court of Appeals denied a motion to stay the auction.
Among the things covered in this vote will be competitive bidding procedures, application requirements and deadlines governing participation in Auction 107.
Other issues regarding the C-band transition, including lump sum payment and relocation procedures, have been the subject of NPRM comments from groups like NAB and ACA Connects.
In addition to C-band, the FCC’s continued process of its Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative will also be a part of the meeting. Specifically regarding TV, the commission will vote on a World War II-era rule that required existing broadcast licenses to share facilities in certain situations; the criteria for this, per the FCC announcement, has never been met. The FCC will vote to officially eliminate it during the meeting.
Rules restricting the duplication of programming on commonly-owned broadcast radio stations, what FCC Chairman Ajit Pai calls “obsolete rules" for telecommunications relay services and rates and charges for inmate phone calls are also on the docket.
For more information, visit www.fcc.gov.
