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The FCC will begin accepting auction applications in fall
2015, Wheeler said while speaking at the National Association of
Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas.
The so-called "broadcast TV spectrum incentive auction" is an
FCC effort to buy back 600 megahertz wireless airwaves from
broadcasters and repackage them to sell to the wireless
industry.
The auction is considered the agency's most complex undertaking
to date, balancing economic, engineering and political
considerations, including wooing broadcasters to give up
airwaves, which means going off the air or sharing frequencies
with other stations.
The latest sale follows the record-setting $41.3 billion AWS-3
spectrum auction, which ended in January with bids for valuable
airwaves to be used for mobile data.
The broadcast airwaves, or spectrum, are particularly attractive
to wireless carriers as they can transport signals over large
distances and penetrate populated areas.
Although all large carriers are expected to participate in the
auction, AT&T Inc so far has been the only one to pledge a
specific amount, at least $9 billion. T-Mobile and Dish have
also said that they would take part.
The FCC has been drumming up interest among broadcasters by
reaching out to them over the last few months to bring them on
board to sell spectrum.
"In addition to the hundreds of broadcasters of all sizes that
have privately expressed interest in the auction, Fox, ION,
Tribune, and Univision have publicly expressed their interest in
participating," Wheeler said.
He also reiterated the idea of allowing a more than 25 percent
foreign ownership of a U.S. broadcaster, which the FCC is now
only allowed to permit on a case-by-case basis. The issue was
raised by Commissioner Michael O'Rielly on a FCC blog posted in
March.
"There are important details that will need to be considered,
including how to make appropriate allowance for any national
security issues that might arise," Wheeler said. "But, overall,
I am optimistic that this is an opportunity that we will grasp
successfully."
Talking about the recent series of lawsuits challenging the
regulator's new Internet rules, Wheeler said the FCC was hopeful
that the court would dispose of petitions against net neutrality
rules. AT&T and three cable and wireless trade groups filed
lawsuits in Washington on Tuesday.
(Additional reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by
Alden Bentley and Ted Botha)
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