Cox Advocates C-Band Reimbursement Framework

The FCC should look at a C-band clearing process that includes an incentive payment ladder for incumbents, including earth station operators, to relocate as soon as possible and that allows direct payments from auction winners to those incumbents, Cox Communications said in a docket 18-122 posting Tuesday. It urged a reimbursement regime giving earth station operators funds for both relocated C-band operations and fiber deployment, and affirmation that video delivery will be allowed in the upper 200 MHz of the repacked band. It said the FCC could use either the estimated costs framework used in the broadcast incentive auction for reimbursing, or MVPD earth station operators could get reimbursement via a fixed sum for relocating each individual channel field. The FCC may vote Feb. 28 on such rules (see 2002030061).