81 FR 7542 - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Releases Updated List of Reserve-Eligible Nationwide Service Providers in Each PEA for the Broadcast Incentive Auction

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 29 (February 12, 2016)

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) updated a list of nationwide providers qualified to bid on reserved spectrum in Auction 1002.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 29 (Friday, February 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7542-7543]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03058]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[AU Docket No. 14-252; DA 16-115]


Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Releases Updated List of 
Reserve-Eligible Nationwide Service Providers in Each PEA for the 
Broadcast Incentive Auction

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission's 
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) updated a list of 
nationwide providers qualified to bid on reserved spectrum in Auction 
1002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Matraves, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau, 202-391-6272, email 
[email protected] or Karen Sprung, Wireless Telecommunications 
Bureau, 202-418-2762, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Bureau's Public 
Notice, DA No. 16-115, AU Docket No. 14-252, released February 2, 2016. 
The full text of this document, including the associated attachment, is 
available for inspection and copying from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET 
Monday through Thursday or from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET on Fridays 
in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street 
SW., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. The complete text is also 
available on the Commission's Web site at http://wireless.fcc.gov, or 
by using the search function on the ECFS Web page at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/.

[[Page 7543]]

Alternative formats are available to persons with disabilities by 
sending an email to [email protected] or by calling the Consumer & 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 
(TTY).
    The Auction 1000 Application Procedures Public Notice included a 
list of nationwide providers in each Partial Economic Area (``PEA'') 
qualified to bid on reserved spectrum in the forward auction (Auction 
1002). The Commission stated in the Auction 1000 Application Procedures 
Public Notice that an updated list of nationwide providers qualified to 
bid on reserved spectrum in Auction 1002 would be issued prior to the 
FCC Form 175 filing deadline. Parties interested in filing potential 
corrections were given until November 16, 2015 to do so, and two 
parties filed.
    The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is releasing the updated 
list as Attachment 1 to this Public Notice. These updates reflect 
recently approved transactions and certain corrections requested by 
Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile,\1\ but do not reflect another correction 
\2\ or certain changes in methodology requested by T-Mobile.\3\ PEAs 
that have been updated are marked in Attachment 1 with an asterisk.
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    \1\ Verizon and T-Mobile each filed corrections to PEAs 69 
(Springfield, MA) and 282 (Galesburg, IL) indicating that Verizon is 
not reserve-eligible in those markets. The Commission agrees and 
accordingly, these corrections are reflected in Attachment 1.
    \2\ T-Mobile claims that Verizon should not be reserve-eligible 
in PEA 410 (Valentine, NE) based on arguments that Commission staff 
may not have attributed Alltel of Nebraska to Verizon, and T-
Mobile's own calculations of the population covered by Verizon's 
cellular licenses in Valentine. The Commission notes first that the 
Commission did attribute Alltel of Nebraska to Verizon in our 
calculations. Secondly, in our review of the data submitted by T-
Mobile, the Commission finds no basis for the inclusion of three 
additional census blocks in T-Mobile's calculations of the 
population covered. The Commission finds that Verizon is reserve-
eligible in Valentine.
    \3\ T-Mobile disagrees with our previously articulated 
methodology for determining reserve-eligibility in PEAs in which 
there is a long-term spectrum lease. T-Mobile also advocates that 
the population-weighted megahertz number for each service provider 
in each PEA should be rounded up to the next whole number. These 
issues are beyond the scope of the corrections process set forth in 
the last Public Notice.

Federal Communications Commission.
Joel Taubenblatt,
Acting Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2016-03058 Filed 2-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P