FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS: October 8, 1999 Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654 David Fiske at (202) 418-0513 FCC COMPLETES FIRST AUCTION OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMITS Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission’s first closed broadcast auction ended today resulting in 91 winning bidders of new construction permits and raising $57,820,350 in net high bids. The permits can be used by companies to provide broadcast services. “As a result of this auction, numerous communities across the United States will have new broadcast stations in their area,” said Chairman William Kennard. “We can now look forward to the exciting opportunities created by these stations.” In the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 Congress gave the FCC authority to use auctions as a licensing mechanism for broadcast services. In 1998, the FCC ordered that pending competing applications for broadcast services would be part of a future closed broadcast auction. The auction, which began on September 28, closed after 35 rounds of bidding. Specific construction permits auctioned included FM Broadcast, FM Translator, TV Broadcast, and Low Power TV. “We’re delighted by the success of this first application of the FCC’s auction process to terrestrial broadcast services,” said Tom Sugrue, Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. “Within a matter of weeks long pending permits for new broadcast stations have been quickly auctioned.” Auction winners must make down payments on their construction permits ten business days after the release of the Public Notice announcing the close of the auction. Winning bidders must also file amendments to their pending long form applications with the FCC within 30 days of the relevant Public Notice A separate FCC auction of one FM Broadcast construction permit also ended today after 15 rounds of bidding. The construction permit raised $172,250 in net high bids. More information on these and other auctions can be located on the FCC homepage at: http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions. FCC contacts: Bob Allen (Auctions Division) at (202) 418-0660, e-mail ballen@fcc.gov, TTY at (202) 418-7233; Lisa Scanlan (Mass Media Audio Services Division) at (202) 418-2700, e-mail lscanlan@fcc.gov, or Shaun Maher (Mass Media Video Services Division) at (202) 418-2324, e-mail at smaher@fcc.gov. - FCC - News media Information 202 / 418-0500 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).