Incentive Auction Commitment Window Open for Just 32 Hours

Broadcasters will have just 32 hours to commit to selling their licenses in the TV incentive auction, said a public notice by the FCC Wireless Bureau. Initial commitments must be submitted during a window that opens at 10 a.m. EDT March 28 and closes at 6 p.m. EDT March 29, the bureau said. The bureau said the initial commitment module of the auction system will be available for preview starting at 10 a.m. EDT March 24, remaining open until the initial commitment window opens. “Late initial commitments will not be accepted,” the bureau said. An online tutorial on initial commitments will be available Feb. 29, as well as a user's guide for the initial commitment module of the auction system, the bureau said. Potential bidders should log in to verify that they are able to access the system, the bureau said. “Similar educational materials for the clock rounds of the reverse auction (Auction 1001), and the clock and assignment phases of the forward auction (Auction 1002) will be available in coming weeks,” the notice said. “These materials will cover information relating to the bidding and immediate post-auction processes of the incentive auction. We will provide these materials sufficiently in advance of the applicable phases of the auction so that participants have adequate time to become familiar with them before the beginning of each phase.”