The FCC has scheduled an auction of 11 vacant full-power, single channel TV allotments for March 15, 2006. Ten of the 11 allotments available for auction are “open” to the public, while the remaining allotment is a “closed” auction limited to existing applicants. Six of these are NTSC channels and the FCC makes no representations as to their suitability for DTV operation. The 10 open allotments are as follows:
| Location | DTV/NTSC | Channel | Upfront Payment/ Opening Bid |
| Greeley, Colo. | DTV | 45 | $705,000 |
| Pueblo, Colo. | NTSC | 48 | $295,000 |
| Apalachicola, Fla. | DTV | 3 | $80,000 |
| Derby, Kan. | DTV | 46 | $295,000 |
| Topeka, Kan. | NTSC | 22+ | $100,000 |
| Duluth, Minn. | NTSC | 27 | $100,000 |
| Osage Beach, Mo. | NTSC | 49+ | $295,000 |
| Bend, Ore. | NTSC | 51 | $80,000 |
| Victoria, Texas | NTSC | 31 | $80,000 |
| Medical Lake, Wash. | DTV | 51 | $420,000 |
| +Indicates a construction permit for which the licensee will be required to operate with its carrier frequencies offset 10 kHz above or below the nominal carrier frequencies. | |||
In order to participate in this auction, potential bidders will need to file an electronic “short form” FCC Form 175 by 6 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 20, 2006. No filing fee or engineering will be required at that time. However, the “upfront payment/minimum bid amount” for each station desired will have to be wired to the FCC by Feb. 17, 2006. Those amounts are also shown in the above list. During the auction, bids will be accepted only electronically or by telephone.
A “new entrant bidding credit” will be given to those who have up to three other media interests (full power broadcast stations, cable systems, DBS, MDS or newspapers), so long as none of them serve them the same area as the TV station on which the owner is bidding. The bidding credit is 35 percent for no those who have no other media interests, and 25 percent for those who have an ownership interest in from one to three other mass media facilities.
Please contact us if you would like more information regarding the available allotments or the application/auction process.