The FCC has announced on Friday the process to settle 102 pending translator applications that are in 43 groups that were filed during the Auction 83 FM translator window back in 2003 (yes, 15 years ago). This opportunity is open for those who filed in 2003 for a specific facility proposal and is listed in the public notice. Auction participants will have a window to update their Form 175 information in mid-April (this is mainly for entities with multiple applications in the auction) with up-front payments due by May 31. The auction will begin on June 21 and go in the normal multiple-round format. The winner of the auction in each MX group will then have 30 days to file a Form 349 long form application. This application must protect all existing facilities. There are no filing freezes at this time for LPFM or other facilities.
Opening bids for each group vary and can start from $750 to $10,000. The highest opening bids will be in:
- Shereveport/Bossier City, LA: $10,000
- Lafayette, IN: $7,500
- Raleigh/Morrisville, NC: $7,500
- Raleigh/Cary, NC: $7,500
- Vero Beach/Nevins, FL: $5,000
More information about the auction from the FCC including a complete listing of applicants can be found here:
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/index.do?document=349743
LPFM stations that may be impacted by any grant coming out of the auction should wait until after the auction concludes and a long form 349 is filed by the applicant before filing any objections. Filing anything right now would be premature. The REC systems have been "blocking" these channels from showing up in the LPFM search tools since they were filed. (REC systems treat all short form proposals as "protected", even when they are not).
