The Auction Was the Easy Part, It’s Time to Repack

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

A session at NAB yesterday suggested that the incentive auction was the “easy part.” With FCC deadlines looming, the NAB panel discussed what to expect next. The panel was comprised of: Hillary DeNigro, Associate Chief, Media Bureau, FCC; Jeffrey Neumann, Chief Engineer, Media Bureau, FCC; Jean Kiddoo, Deputy Chair for Transition, Incentive Auction Task Force, FCC along with moderator Patrick McFadden, Vice President, Spectrum Policy.

McFadden introduced the panel, noting that the repack, “will place extreme demands on the broadcast industry and its members as well as the FCC staff.” Yesterday marked day 12 of the 39-month process. “We have a staged transition plan that’s very carefully scheduled and we think is workable in the 39-month period,” Jean Kiddoo explained.

And while 39 months may seem like a long time, Hillary DeNigro warned, “the deadlines will come up very quickly,” noting that the first deadline is in May for anyone who’s interested in a service rule waiver request. The second deadline is the second week in June and is the first opportunity to formally come forward if what your station has been assigned is not ‘workable’ for engineering or other special, legal reasons. DeNigro stressed, “there’s no need to wait” and it is in everyone’s favor to provide notice prior to the actual deadline. “Your transition is going to implicate the transition of other stations,” she said.  

The “big” deadline DeNigro referenced is the 90-day deadline on July 12 for construction permit applications and cost estimates. These construction permit applications can be handled on a rolling basis and should be resolved in ten business days if they meet certain criteria. 

Panelists also discussed reimbursement. The Spectrum Act requires that the FCC “reimburse costs reasonably incurred by” broadcast television licensees that are reassigned to new channels as well as by MVPDs that incur costs related to continuing to carry the signals of broadcast stations moving to a new channel. The FCC will provide initial allocations of funds based on their estimated costs and the amount of funds available followed by one or more allocations prior to the end of the three-year reimbursement period.

When asked what stations should do to make sure they get reimbursed for their expenses, Jeffrey Neumann replied, “keep your receipts,” to an uproar of laughter from the audience. He followed up with other suggestions, including using the cost catalog, maintaining documentation, and keeping estimates current. Kiddoo also recommended stations keep their financial information updated in the FCC LMS database. 

Panelists also addressed the recent public notice that assigned 10 regional coordinators “to support broadcast television stations moving to new channel assignments in the post-incentive auction transition period.” Communication has already been initiated between the coordinators and stations, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told attendees earlier in the day. If stations haven’t heard from their designated coordinator, DeNigro encouraged them to check their spam folder – no joke. If not received, stations are asked to check the public notice on the website, identify their coordinator and reach out to ensure they have the proper contact information.

The FCC website has been updated with guidelines, the transition schedule (see below), reimbursement details and consumer resources.

April 26, 2017      

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.