# Attachment D {#attachment-d .unnumbered}

HOW TO MONITOR THE FCC AUCTIONS ON-LINE

The auction announcements and round results for Auction 38 will be
accessible through the FCC Wide Area Network, the Internet, and the
FCC's Automated Round Results System. You can check on round results and
also read any material released by the Commission during the course of
the auction. In the sections that follow, Options 1 and 2 list the
information needed to track the auction from your computer; Option 3
lists an alternate method.

**[Conventions]{.underline}**

The instructions in this section use the following typographical
conventions:

**bold** Represents objects on the screen that you click with the mouse
pointer, including buttons, Internet links, icons, tabs, menu items
(e.g., **Cancel** button, **Auctions** link, **Save** option in the File
menu).

*italic* Represents field names or areas of a screen (e.g., *Location*
field, *Selected* *Licenses* area of a screen).

***bold italic*** Represents characters that you must type exactly as
they appear in the instructions. For example, if you are instructed to
type ***http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov***, you should type all of the
characters shown in bold italic exactly as they are printed.

## Option 1: Tracking the Auction via the FCC Wide Area Network

The FCC has implemented a Remote Access System that allows users to dial
in directly to the FCC to view round results, auction announcements, and
messages, and to make suggestions to the FCC regarding the FCC auction
process.

### Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements

The following minimum hardware and software is required to use the FCC
Remote Access System:

#### Hardware Requirements

-   CPU: Intel Pentium

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   RAM: 32 MB (more recommended if you have multiple applications open)

-   Modem: 28.8 Kbps Hayes compatible modem or faster (recommend 56.6
    Kbps)

-   Monitor: VGA or above

-   Mouse or other pointing device

#### Software Requirements 

-   Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95/98

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) Dialer: Use the Dial-Up Networking
    feature included with Windows 95/98

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Web Browser: Netscape Communicator 4.76 is recommended. However, you
    can also use Netscape Communicator 4.5, 4.51, 4.61, 4.7, 4.72, or
    4.73.

To download Netscape Communicator 4.76 free of charge, access the
Netscape download site at ***http://home.netscape.com/download/*** and
click the **Communicator Product** link below the Download button. When
the *Choose Operating System* list appears, click the **Windows 95, 98,
NT or 2000** link. On the *Choose Version* list, click **4.76**; on the
*Choose Component* list, click **Complete** and then click **Download It
Now**.

### Connecting to the FCC Network

To use the FCC Remote Access System, you must first connect to the FCC
Network using Dial-Up Networking.

Dial-Up Networking connects to a 900 number telephone service at a
charge of \$2.30 per minute. The first minute of connection time to the
900 number service is at no charge.

Dial-Up Networking establishes a point‑to‑point connection from your PC
to the FCC Network. *This point‑to‑point connection is not routed
through the Internet*.

For instructions regarding how to connect to the FCC Network using
Dial-Up Networking, see the *Accessing the FCC Network Using Windows
95/98* attachment.

For technical assistance with installing or using FCC software, contact
the FCC Technical Support Hotline at (202) 414‑1250 (V) or (202)
414-1255 (TTY). The FCC Technical Support Hotline is generally available
Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, Saturday from 8 a.m. to
7 p.m. ET, and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET. *All calls to the FCC
Technical Support Hotline are recorded.*

### Using the FCC Remote Access System

After you have connected to the FCC Network, start your Netscape Web
browser. In your browser's *Location* field, enter
***http://wtbwww26.fcc.gov*** and then click **Round Results Viewer**,
**Suggestion Box**, or **Announcements**

> **Note:** If you cannot access the preceding site, and you suspect
> there is a problem with your Domain Name Server (DNS), refer to
> *Accessing FCC Sites In Case of DNS Problems* at the end of this
> document. Or you can use the alternate location,
> ***http://wtbwww03.fcc.gov***.

When you have finished, exit your Web browser, then disconnect from the
FCC Network.

## Option 2: Tracking the Auction via the Internet

You may use your Web browser to download announcements and round results
from ***wtbwww13.fcc.gov*** -- or from either of two secondary
locations, ***wtbwww01.fcc.gov*** or ***www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/*** \--
as described in the following sections.

### Downloading from wtbwww13.fcc.gov or wtbwww01.fcc.gov:

1\. Connect to your Internet service provider and start your Web
browser.

2.  In the *Location* field of the Web browser screen, enter one of the
    following locations: ***http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov*** or
    ***wtbwww01.fcc.gov***

> **Note:** If you cannot access either of the preceding sites, and you
> suspect there is a problem with your Domain Name Server (DNS), refer
> to *Accessing FCC Sites In Case of DNS Problems* at the end of this
> document.
>
> 3\. Click **Auction 38***.*

-   For auction announcements, click **Announcements**.

-   To download a bid import template file, click **Announcements**,
    then select **template.txt**.

-   For auction round results, click **Results** and then click the
    subdirectory for the type of files you want to use:

> **mdb** - Microsoft Access database files in *zipped* form (for use in
> the Auction Tracking Tool)
>
> **txt** - text files
>
> **dbf** - dBASE database files

4\. Click the file you want to download.

### Downloading from www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/:

1\. Connect to your Internet service provider and start your Web
browser.

2.  In the *Location* field of the Web browser screen, enter the
    following location:

> ***http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/***

3.  Do the following:

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
a.  In the *Auctions* section on the right, click **700 MHz Guard Band
    (#38)** under *In Progress.*

b.  Click a link in the *Pre Auction and Auction* section:

-   For auction announcements, click **Announcements**.

-   To download a bid import template file, click **Announcements**,
    then select **template.txt**.

-   For auction round results, click **Results** and then click the
    subdirectory for the type of files you want to use:

> **mdb** - Microsoft Access database files *zipped*
>
> **txt** - text files
>
> **dbf** - dBASE database files

4\. Then click the file you want to download.

### Announcement Files

The announcement files will use the naming convention *aa_xxx.nnn,*
where *aa* is the auction number, *xxx* is the round number and *nnn* is
the announcement number. For example, 38_002.007 would represent an
announcement for Auction 38 that was posted during round two and was the
seventh announcement for the auction.

### Round Results Files

For each round, dBASE-compatible database files will be uploaded with
the following naming conventions (where *xxx* represents the round
number):

-   38\_*xxx*s.dbf contains all bids submitted in a particular round

-   38\_*xxx*w.dbf contains all bids withdrawn in a particular round

-   38\_*xxx*e.dbf contains the maximum eligibility and remaining number
    of waivers for each bidder

-   38\_*xxx*h.dbf contains the high bids in a particular round and the
    minimum accepted bids for the next round

For those who cannot use the dBASE-compatible database files, we will
also upload the ASCII text (.txt) version of these files with the same
filenames as above (e.g., 38\_ *xxx*s.txt, 38\_*xxx*e.txt).

In addition, if you want to use Microsoft Access or you are using the
FCC-provided Auction Tracking Tool (ATT), we upload the mdb access
version of the round results files as a zipped file with a name of the
form 38\_ *xxx*.zip.

In the event an error occurs with the mdb file creation process only,
the zipped file will not be generated. However, if such a failure
occurs, we will upload text files that contain the mdb round results
data. For details, refer to *Round Results Text Files Produced In Case
of ATT Processing Failure* at the end of this section.

> ***File Formats:*** For a description of the internal formats of the
> round results files, refer to *Round Results File Formats* at the end
> of this document.

#### Locations of Uploaded Files

The newest round results are uploaded to the *Results* directory based
on type of file format: dbf, mdb (zip files), and txt.

**On the primary location, *wtbwww13.fcc.gov*:**

-   http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/dbf/

-   http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/mdb/

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/txt/

If you cannot access these files at the preceding primary location, you
can access the same files at either of the following secondary
locations: ***wtbwww01.fcc.gov*** or ***www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/.***

#### Archive Directories

After every 50 rounds, files will be moved from the Results directory to
archive directories. The following listings show an example of the
directory structure for an auction in round 102. Note that the results
for rounds 101 and 102 would be in the *Results* directories.

**On the primary location, *wtbwww13.fcc.gov*:**

Rounds 1-50
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/dbf/D001_050

Rounds 51-100
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/dbf/D051_100

Rounds 101-102 http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/dbf/

Rounds 1-50
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/mdb/M001_050

Rounds 51-100
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/mdb/M051_100

Rounds 101-102 http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/mdb/

Rounds 1-50
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/txt/T001_050

Rounds 51-100
http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/txt/T051_100

Rounds 101-102 http://wtbwww13.fcc.gov/700_MHZ/Auction_38/Results/txt/

If you cannot access the files at the preceding primary location, you
can access the same files at either of the following secondary
locations: ***wtbwww01.fcc.gov*** or ***www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/***.

#### Round Results Text Files Produced In Case of ATT Processing Failure

In the event an error occurs with the mdb file creation process, and the
mdb files are not created, we will initiate a backup process to provide
a temporary solution for bidders who normally would rely on the Auction
Tracking Tool data to analyze round results. Specifically, we will
upload tab-delimited ASCII (.txt) files that contain the same round
results data as the mdb files, but in a flat file format.

There will be one .txt file for each Auction Tracking Tool table, and
they will have names of the following general forms (where *xxx* is the
round number):

-   All Bids: 38*\_xxx*a.txt

-   Bidders: 38*\_xxx*b.txt

-   Bidders Raising Own High Bid: 38*\_xxx*c.txt

-   Bidders Who Reduced: 38*\_xxx*r.txt

-   Increment Statistics: 38*\_xxx*i.txt

-   Markets: 38*\_xxx*m.txt

-   Round Statistics: 38*\_xxx*u.txt

-   Waiver Statistics: 38*\_xxx*v.txt

-   Withdrawal Statistics: 38*\_xxx*d.txt

For example, 38_001a.txt is the All Bids table file for Round 1.

These text files will be uploaded to the same location as the mdb zipped
file, as described under the preceding section titled *Locations of
Uploaded Files*. Bidders will then have all of the table data that is
normally supplied with the mdb files. However, bidders will not be able
to import the .txt file into the Auction Tracking Tool. Instead, they
will have to use Notepad, Wordpad, Excel, or some other application that
can work with text files.

Once the processing error has been corrected, the mdb files will be
created and posted to the Internet, replacing the temporary text files.
Bidders will receive a message that the files have been updated. The
updated zip file can then be loaded into the Auction Tracking Tool.

## Option 3: Tracking the Auction via the FCC's Automated Round Results System

High Bid round results are also available from a touch-tone phone, using
the FCC\'s Automated Round Results System. To access this system, dial
800-432-2110 from outside the Washington DC area and 202-414-1260 from
within the Washington DC area. Once the system has been activated, you
will follow the voice prompts. You will need to know the name of the
license you want by market and frequency block, such as MEA012 A.

## Accessing FCC Sites In Case of DNS Problems

When you enter a URL into your browser, the system must convert this
alphanumeric text (e.g., *www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/*) into its
associated numeric IP address (*192.104.54.3*, in this case). To make
this conversion, the system checks URL-to-IP-address "lookup" tables in
two different places.

First, it looks at the table contained in a file called **hosts** in the
c:\\windows directory on your computer's hard drive. If the URL is not
in that table, the system looks in the database on your Domain Name
Server (DNS). However, if your DNS is unavailable for some reason, the
system will not be able to find the IP address you requested.

The following procedure is intended to help ensure that you can access
auction results files on the FCC's Web and FTP sites if your designated
DNS has problems. Note the following:

-   The IP addresses shown in the following procedure are correct as of
    the date this document was created. They may have changed
    subsequently. In case of problems, please check with Tech Support
    at (202) 414-1250.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Make entries in the **hosts** file *only* to work around DNS
    problems. We do not recommend leaving these entries in permanently;
    please remove them when your DNS problem has been resolved.

To add FCC-related URL entries to your computer's hosts file, do the
following:

1.  Using Windows Explorer, ensure that the hosts file exists in your
    c:\\windows directory. If c:\\windows has no **hosts** file, use the
    Windows *Rename* function to change the name of the **hosts.sam**
    file to **hosts** (with no extension).

> To do this, use your *right-hand* mouse button to click the
> **hosts.sam** file, then click the Rename option in the menu that
> appears.

2.  Using a text editor of your choice, such as Wordpad or Notepad, open
    the hosts file in your c:\\windows directory.

> This file will already contain the following entry:
>
> 127.0.0.1 localhost

3.  Using the same format (with at least one space between each number
    and its corresponding URL), add the following entries to the bottom
    of the file:

> 192.104.54.3 ftp.fcc.gov
>
> 192.104.54.3 www.fcc.gov
>
> 208.245.40.194 wtbwww13.fcc.gov

68. wtbftp01.fcc.gov

> 207.123.193.68 wtbwww01.fcc.gov

4.  Save the file and exit your text editor.

> Be sure that the file name has not changed to *hosts.txt* or
> *hosts.doc* or similar. It must remain just **hosts** (with no
> extension).

## Round Results File Formats

This section describes the formats for the round results files that will
be uploaded to the FCC Internet site after each round of the auction.
There are three sets of results files. The first set of files is in
Microsoft Access 97 *mdb* format and contains the data tables for the
FCC Auction Tracking Tool. The other files are in *dbf* and *txt* format
and contain the raw output of the auction data.

### Auction Tracking Tool File Format

There will be a single Auction Tracking Tool *.zip* file for each round
of the auction. The following layout describes the tables and fields
within the mdb round file. The mdb files are for use with the FCC
Auction Tracking Tool.

#### All Bids table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

License Name Text(15)

Market Text(6)

Block Text(2)

Submarket Long Integer

Bidder Text(50)

Increments of Bid Long Integer

Gross Bid Amount Currency

Net Bid Amount Currency

Date Text(10)

Time Text(14)

#### Bidders table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

Bidder Text(50)

FCC Acct Text(10)

Bidding Credit Single

Initial Eligibility Long Integer

Current Eligibility Long Integer

Change in Eligibility Long Integer

Waiver Type Text(4)

New Bids Long Integer

Gross Bids Currency

Net Bids Currency

Total High Bids Long Integer

Gross High Bids Currency

Net High Bids Currency

Current Activity Long Integer

Additional Activity Required Long Integer

Unused Elig Long Integer

Waivers Remaining Long Integer

Withdrawals Remaining Long Integer

#### Bidders Raising Own High Bid table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

License Name Text(15)

Major Grouping Text(6)

Minor Grouping Text(6)

Block Text(2)

Submarket Long Integer

Bidder Text(50)

Increments of Bid Long Integer

Gross Bid Amount Currency

Net Bid Amount Currency

Date Text(10)

Time Text(14)

#### Bidders Who Reduced table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

Bidder Who Reduced Text(50)

Reduction Amt Long Integer

Current Eligibility Long Integer

#### Increment Statistics table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

1 Long Integer

2 Long Integer

3 Long Integer

4 Long Integer

5 Long Integer

6 Long Integer

7 Long Integer

8 Long Integer

9 Long Integer

#### Markets table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

License Name Text(15)

Major Grouping Text(6)

Minor Grouping Text(6)

Block Text(2)

Submarket Long Integer

License Size (MHz) Double

Market Name Text(50)

BUs Long Integer

Population Long Integer

Number of Bids Long Integer

High Bidder Text(50)

Round of High Bid Long Integer

Increments of Bid Long Integer

Gross Currency

Bidding Credit Single

Net Currency

Date Text(10)

Time Text(14)

Min Acceptable Bid Currency

Bid Increment Currency

Prev High Bidder Text(50)

Round of Prev High Bid Long Integer

Prev Gross Currency

Prev Bidding Credit Single

Prev Net Currency

Selected Long Integer

All Selected Long Integer

#### Round Statistics table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

Round Date Text(11)

Stage Long Integer

New Bids Long Integer

Total High Bids Long Integer

Pctg of BUs for All Bids Single

Pctg of BUs for High Bids Single

Gross Bids Currency

Net Bids Currency

Dollar Change in Net Bids Currency

Pctg Change in Net Bids Single

Eligible Bidders Long Integer

Bidders At Risk Long Integer

Number Reduced Long Integer

BUs Reduced Double

Eligibility Ratio Single

Pctg of Covered BUs Single

Waivers Long Integer

Withdrawals Long Integer

FCC Held Licenses Long Integer

Pctg of Covered Pops Single

Pctg of the Covered Pops

with Bidding Credit Single

#### Waiver Statistics table

Auction ID Long Integer

Round Long Integer

Bidder Text(50)

Waiver Type Text(1)

Remaining Waivers Long Integer

#### Withdrawal Statistics table

Auction ID Long Integer

Withdrawal Number Long Integer

Bidder Text(50)

License Name Text(15)

Market Text(6)

Block Text(2)

Submarket Long Integer

BUs Long Integer

Population Long Integer

Round Long Integer

Gross Currency

Net Currency

Date Text(10)

Time Text(14)

Min Bid Currency

New High Bidder Text(50)

New High Bid Round Long Integer

Gross High Bid Currency

Net High Bid Currency

### Round Results File Format

The round results files were used by the previous Excel based tracking
tool produced by the FCC and are still being distributed for those
bidders who use them for their own tracking purposes. The following
layouts are for the dbf files. The txt files will have character field
types.

#### ALL_BIDS file

market char(6)

freq_block char(2)

round_num numeric

bid_amt numeric

bidder_num numeric

fcc_acct char(10)

date char(10)

time char(14)

net_bid_amt numeric

sort_col_1 numeric

sort_col_2 numeric

sub_market numeric

#### HIGH_BIDS file

market char(6)

freq_block char(2)

bid_round numeric

bid_amt numeric

bidder_num numeric

fcc_acct char(10)

date char(10)

time char(14)

net_bid_amt numeric

min_accept numeric

num_of_bids numeric

sort_col_1 numeric

sort_col_2 numeric

sub_market numeric

#### MAXIMUM_ELIGIBILITY file

round_num numeric

bidder_num numeric

fcc_acct char(10)

max_elig numeric

rmng_waivr numeric

waivr_ind char(1)

rmng_withdrawals numeric

required_act numeric

current_activity numeric

#### WITHDRAWALS file

market char(6)

freq_block char(2)

bid_round numeric

bid_amt numeric

bidder_num numeric

fcc_acct char(10)

date char(10)

time char(14)

net_bid_amt numeric

sort_col_1 numeric

sort_col_2 numeric

sub_market numeric

#### BIDDER_CROSS_REFERENCE file

bidder_num numeric

fcc_acct char(10)

co_name char(50)

bidding_credit_pctg numeric

short_name char(10)

bidder_num numeric

## Help

For technical assistance with installing or using FCC software, contact
the FCC Technical Support Hotline at (202) 414‑1250 (V) or (202)
414-1255 (TTY). The FCC Technical Support Hotline is generally available
Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, Saturday from 8 a.m. to
7 p.m. ET, and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET. *All calls to the FCC
Technical Support Hotline are recorded.*