An anonymous group of TV station owners who...
An anonymous group of TV station owners who say they plan to participate in the incentive spectrum auction attacked the plan to pay some stations more for their spectrum than others based any “scoring” factors developed by the FCC. The…
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Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition said the statute that authorized the auction “does not contemplate any role for the opinions of FCC Staff regarding the value of individual stations or classes of stations.” A scoring system based on a station’s population coverage would yield lower prices for stations licensed in communities on the fringes of large markets and undervalue the significance of such stations participating in the auction, the coalition said. “The absolute best way to assure a successful auction … is to attract the maximum possible broadcaster participation,” it said. “We urge the commission to take every opportunity to disavow any intention to manage broadcaster prices by ’scoring’ stations,” it said.