The FCC laid out a tentative...

The FCC laid out a tentative timeline for next steps as it prepares for the TV incentive auction. Gary Epstein, chairman of the Incentive Auction Task Force, promised last week more certainty was in its way (CD June 18 p1). Under the timeline (http://fcc.us/1ldB0fR), Q3 will be a busy time, with various public notices and auction related proceedings set to launch. In Q1 2015, the FCC is slated to adopt an auction procedures public notice, “establishing final auction procedures and providing detailed explanations and instructions for potential auction participants.” The auction would then occur in the middle part of the year. In an accompanying blog post Wednesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler emphasized that the timeline offers broadcasters additional certainty. “Robust participation by broadcasters will be critical to the success of the auction,” he wrote (http://fcc.us/1pkjcbk). “The auction is a risk-free, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for broadcasters, but the decision of whether or not to participate is completely voluntary and confidential.” Wheeler “and the Auction Staff are being incredibly responsive to the information needs of broadcasters,” said Preston Padden, executive director of the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition, in an e-mail. A second broadcast industry lawyer said there’s “a long way to go between here and the auction.”