[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 26, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24484-24485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10357]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Report No. AUC-00-34-B (Auction No. 34); DA 00-877]


Auction of Additional Licenses for 800 MHz Specialized Mobile 
Radio (SMR) Service To Be Included in Auction No. 34 Scheduled for 
August 23, 2000; Comment Sought on Reserve Prices or Minimum Opening 
Bids and Other Auction Procedural Issues

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document provides additional information concerning the 
800 MHz licenses being offered in Auction No. 34 scheduled to commence 
August 23, 2000. This document also seeks comment on procedural issues

[[Page 24485]]

related to the auctioning of these licenses in Auction No. 34.

DATES: Comments are due on or before April 28, 2000, and reply comments 
are due on or before May 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: To file formally, parties must submit an original and four 
paper copies to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications 
Commission, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, 
TW--A325, Washington, D.C. 20554. In addition, parties must submit one 
copy to M. Nicole Oden, Attorney, Auctions and Industry Analysis 
Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications 
Commission, Room 4-A337, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20554. 
One copy to Rana Shuler, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division, 
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 
Room 4-A628, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20554. Comments and 
reply comments will be available for public inspection during regular 
business hours in the FCC Public Reference Room, Room CY-A257, 445 12th 
Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicole Oden, Auctions and Industry 
Analysis Division, (Legal Branch) at (202) 418-0660; Kathy Garland or 
Bob Reagle, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division, (Auction 
Operations) at (717) 338-2888.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of a Public Notice 
released April 18, 2000. The complete text of the public notice, 
including Attachment A is available for inspection and copying during 
normal business hours in the FCC Reference Center (Room CY-A257), 445 
12th Street, SW, Washington, DC. It may also be purchased from the 
Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Services, 
Inc. (ITS, Inc.) 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 
857-3800. It is also available on the Commission's web site at http://www.fcc.gov.
    1. This Public Notice provides additional information about the 800 
MHz licenses being offered in Auction No. 34. See DA 00-667, Auction of 
Licenses for 800 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) Service General 
Category Frequencies in the 851-854 MHz Band Scheduled for August 23, 
2000 (Auction No. 34 Comment Public Notice) 65 FR 17268 (March 31, 
2000). Specifically, Auction No. 34 will include three 800 MHz Upper 
Band licenses (861-865 MHz). Attachment A contains a listing of the 
three additional licenses that will be offered in Auction No. 34. This 
Public Notice also seeks comment on procedural issues related to the 
auctioning of these licenses in Auction No. 34.
    2. The frequencies and channels numbers associated with each 
spectrum block are listed below. Spectrum block A is allocated 20 
channels, spectrum block B is allocated 60 channels, and spectrum block 
C is allocated 120 channels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Frequencies  (Base
          Spectrum block              Channel Nos.         & Mobile)
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A.................................  401-420.........     861.0-861.5 MHz
                                                         816.0-816.5 MHz
B.................................  421-480.........     861.5-863.0 MHz
                                                         816.5-818.0 MHz
C.................................  481-600.........     863.0-866.0 MHz
                                                         818.0-821.0 MHz
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I. Reserve Price or Minimum Opening Bid

    3. The Bureau proposes to utilize the same minimum opening bids 
previously established for the 800 MHz Upper Band licenses in Auction 
No. 16, rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. See DA 97-2147, Auction 
of 800 MHz SMR Upper 10 MHz Band, Minimum Opening Bids or Reserve 
Prices (SMR Order) 62 FR 55251 (October 23, 1997). A list of the three 
additional licenses, including the related geographic service area 
population and minimum opening bid, is attached hereto as Attachment A. 
The Bureau believes minimum opening bids, rather than reserve prices, 
will help to regulate the pace of the auction and provide greater 
flexibility. Comment is sought on this proposal. Alternatively, comment 
is sought on whether, consistent with the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, 
the public interest would be served by having no minimum opening bid or 
reserve price.

II. Upfront Payments and Initial Maximum Eligibility for Each 
Bidder

    4. The Bureau proposes to use the same upfront payments as 
previously established for the 800 MHz Upper Band licenses in Auction 
No. 16. See DA 97-1672, Auction of 800 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio 
Service Licenses (Auction No. 16 Public Notice) 62 FR 49228 (September 
19, 1997). A list of these licenses, including the related geographic 
service area population and upfront payment, is attached hereto as 
Attachment A. We seek comment on this proposal.
    5. We further propose that the amount of the upfront payment 
submitted by a bidder will determine the initial maximum eligibility 
(as measured in bidding units) for each bidder. Upfront payments will 
not be attributed to specific licenses, but instead will be translated 
into bidding units to define a bidder's initial maximum eligibility, 
which cannot be increased during the auction. Thus, in calculating the 
upfront payment amount, an applicant must determine the maximum number 
of bidding units it may wish to bid on (or hold high bids on) in any 
single round, and submit an upfront payment covering that number of 
bidding units. We seek comment on this proposal.

III. Other Auction Procedural Issues

    6. In the Auction No. 34 Comment Public Notice, the Bureau set 
forth and sought comment on the following proposals relating to auction 
structure and bidding procedures: (1) Simultaneous multiple round 
auction design; (2) upfront payments and initial maximum eligibility; 
(3) activity rules; (4) activity rule waivers and reducing eligibility; 
(5) information relating to auction delay, suspension or cancellation; 
(6) round structure; (7) reserve or minimum opening bid; (8) minimum 
accepted bids and bid increments; (9) information regarding bid 
withdrawal and bid removal; and (10) the stopping rule. The Bureau 
proposes to utilize the same auction structure and procedures for the 
additional licenses listed in Attachment A that it utilizes for the 
auction of all other licenses in Auction No. 34. We seek comment on 
these proposals as they relate to the licenses listed in Attachment A.

Federal Communications Commission.
Louis J. Sigalos,
Deputy Chief, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. 00-10357 Filed 4-25-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P