WASHINGTON—The application window for selling spectrum in the 2016 TV spectrum incentive auction opens Tuesday, Dec. 8 at noon. The auction team at the Federal Communications Commission is kicking off the day with a three-hour workshop that overlaps the window by an hour—from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern.

The application process will begin with filling out FCC Form 177, to be released at noon Eastern when the workshop opens. The screenshots of the form approved by the Office of Management and Budget and published in Federal Register Dec. 2 indicate applicants will need their FCC Registration Number and a password to enter. Applicants will be asked about ownership, legal business classification, address, responsible party information, names of authorized bidders, call sign, facility ID, commercial or noncommercial status and relinquishment options.

There are three such options: Going off the air; moving to a low VHF; moving to a high VHF. All three options can be selected at the time of application, but those not selected will not be available during the auction.

Channel-sharing will constitute going off the air for the station that opts to share 6 MHz with another broadcaster. A channel-sharing agreement must be in place and certified on Form 177 for approval.

The Reverse Auction Application Workshop will be streamed live with open captioning from www.fcc.gov/live. A recor’ded version will be available on demand afterward on the Auction 1001 Website. An online tutorial with 32 slides and narration is available now on demand.

Also see…
Dec. 2, 2015
FCC Auction Application Form 177 Becomes Official
The application form for selling a broadcast TV spectrum license has become official.

November 12, 2015
FCC Moves Auction Application Window, Revises Opening Bids
The window for broadcasters to apply to participate in the TV spectrum incentive auction has been pushed back due to some new numbers.