[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 62770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30848]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[DA-97-2420; Report No. AUC-17-D (Auction No. 17)]
Opportunity for Reply Comment on Reserve Prices or Minimum
Opening Bids for LMDS Auction Extended
Released: November 18, 1997.
When FCC licenses are subject to auction (i.e., because they are
mutually exclusive) the recently enacted Balanced Budget Act of 1997
calls upon the Commission to prescribe methods by which a reasonable
reserve price will be required or a minimum opening bid established,
unless the Commission determines that a reserve price or minimum bid is
not in the public interest. The Commission recently announced the
auction of 986 licenses for the Local Multipoint Distribution Service
(``LMDS''), and originally set an auction commencement date of December
10, 1997 (62 FR 53629, October 15, 1997), later rescheduled to February
18, 1998 by Public Notice released on November 10, 1997. This document
is available in the Commission's Office of Public Affairs, 1919 M
Street, N.W., Room 202, Washington, DC 20554. In anticipation of that
auction and in light of the Balanced Budget Act, the Commission
proposed that minimum opening bids be established for the LMDS auction,
that they be calculated under a specific iterated formula, and that the
Commission have discretion to lower the minimum opening bids as it
deems appropriate. Because of the imminence of the auction, the
Commission sought comment on its proposals under a schedule that
provided a somewhat abbreviated deadline for reply comments.
The Commission received comments from the following parties:
BroadBand, Inc.
Cornerstone Wireless Communications, L.L.C.
East Ascension Telephone Company, Inc.
Eclipse Communications Corporation
Fremont Telcom Co.
HighSpeed.Com, L.L.C.
Horizon Personal Communications, Inc.
JATO Communications Corp.
Midwest Wireless Communications, L.L.C.
Montana Wireless, Inc.
North Alabama Cellular, LLC
Pioneer Telephone Association, Inc.
Richard L. Vega Group, Inc.
Spectraware Corporation
Tel/Logic Inc.
Thomas F. Mitts and Pappas Telecasting Companies
U.S. WaveLink Telecommunications, L.P.
U.S. Wireless Communications, Inc.
Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc.
VIPC
Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.
WinStar Communications, Inc.
Zip Communications Corporation
A reply comment was received from the National Telephone
Cooperative Association.
More recently, the Commission postponed the auction commencement
date until February 18, 1998. Because of the additional time available
prior to the commencement of the auction, the Commission hereby reopens
the period for reply comments on its above-referenced proposals
regarding minimum opening bids. Reply comments therefore will be due on
or before December 1, 1997. To file formally, parties must submit an
original and four copies to the Office of the Secretary, Room 222, 1919
M Street, N.W., 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 239, 1919 M Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20554.
For further information concerning this proceeding, contact Brett
Tarnutzer, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0660.
Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-30848 Filed 11-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
