Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCC has postponed an auction of FM allotments that had been set to begin this spring.
FCC Auction 106 was to have begun April 28 and would have included allotments in the Grand Marais (MN), Jamestown, Mason City, Rhinelander, Scottsbluff, and Waterloo markets. (See the earlier report for more details.)
The FCC said the delay is necessary “in order to protect the health and safety of Commission staff” during the pandemic “and to allow parties additional time to prepare to participate.” A new date for the auction has not been announced.
“Many Americans have had to make tough decisions on how they do business in this rapidly changing environment, and the FCC is no different,” Chairman Ajit Pai said in a news release. “After consulting agency staff within the relevant Bureaus and Offices, we determined that it was in everyone’s best interest to make these changes.”
The commission also delayed an auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum, FCC Auction 105, until July.
The delay of the FM auction could give bidders more time to prepare for the expected economic downturn. The Upper Midwest allotments are all in small or unrated markets where advertising revenue is limited.
Once the auction is held, winning bidders will have three years to build their stations once construction permits are issued.