CCA Members Concerned About Incentive Auction Quiet Period
Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry and CCA members complained about the potential side effects of what's expected to be an unusually long quiet period before and after the TV incentive auction, said a filing at the FCC. FCC Wireless…
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Bureau Chief Roger Sherman has reassured the industry repeatedly that the FCC will soon provide a road map on permissible discussions and other activities under the agency’s anti-collusion rules (see 1509160057). The “breadth and duration” of the rules “will significantly deter ongoing business activities in the wireless industry, and worse, quell participation in the Incentive Auction by both reverse and forward auction applicants,” the CCA representatives warned. CCA said the quiet period could last as long as a year. “If the Commission cannot reduce the length of the quiet period, it is imperative for the FCC to clarify the scope of the rules and to ensure that their application is as narrowly tailored as possible,” CCA said. “At the very least, the Commission should clarify that the scope of disclosures that need to be made pursuant to the anti-collusion rules is intended to be narrowly tailored to agreements relating to the licenses being auctioned, allow forward auction participants to continue operational agreement negotiations after the quiet period has commenced, and provide additional guidance regarding what agreements would be considered ‘solely operational.’” The group met with officials from the Wireless Bureau and the Incentive Auction Task Force, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 12-268.