Opportunity for Reply Comment on Reserve Prices or Minimum Opening Bids for LMDS Auction Extended

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[DA-97-2420; Report No. AUC-17-D (Auction No. 17)]

Opportunity for Reply Comment on Reserve Prices or Minimum

Opening Bids for LMDS Auction Extended

Released: November 18, 1997.

When FCC licenses are subject to auction (i.e., because they are

mutually exclusive) the recently enacted Balanced Budget Act of 1997

calls upon the Commission to prescribe methods by which a reasonable

reserve price will be required or a minimum opening bid established,

unless the Commission determines that a reserve price or minimum bid is

not in the public interest. The Commission recently announced the

auction of 986 licenses for the Local Multipoint Distribution Service

(``LMDS''), and originally set an auction commencement date of December

10, 1997 (62 FR 53629, October 15, 1997), later rescheduled to February

18, 1998 by Public Notice released on November 10, 1997. This document

is available in the Commission's Office of Public Affairs, 1919 M

Street, N.W., Room 202, Washington, DC 20554. In anticipation of that

auction and in light of the Balanced Budget Act, the Commission

proposed that minimum opening bids be established for the LMDS auction,

that they be calculated under a specific iterated formula, and that the

Commission have discretion to lower the minimum opening bids as it

deems appropriate. Because of the imminence of the auction, the

Commission sought comment on its proposals under a schedule that

provided a somewhat abbreviated deadline for reply comments.

The Commission received comments from the following parties:

BroadBand, Inc.

Cornerstone Wireless Communications, L.L.C.

East Ascension Telephone Company, Inc.

Eclipse Communications Corporation

Fremont Telcom Co.

HighSpeed.Com, L.L.C.

Horizon Personal Communications, Inc.

JATO Communications Corp.

Midwest Wireless Communications, L.L.C.

Montana Wireless, Inc.

North Alabama Cellular, LLC

Pioneer Telephone Association, Inc.

Richard L. Vega Group, Inc.

Spectraware Corporation

Tel/Logic Inc.

Thomas F. Mitts and Pappas Telecasting Companies

U.S. WaveLink Telecommunications, L.P.

U.S. Wireless Communications, Inc.

Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc.

VIPC

Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.

WinStar Communications, Inc.

Zip Communications Corporation

A reply comment was received from the National Telephone

Cooperative Association.

More recently, the Commission postponed the auction commencement

date until February 18, 1998. Because of the additional time available

prior to the commencement of the auction, the Commission hereby reopens

the period for reply comments on its above-referenced proposals

regarding minimum opening bids. Reply comments therefore will be due on

or before December 1, 1997. To file formally, parties must submit an

original and four copies to the Office of the Secretary, Room 222, 1919

M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. Comments and reply comments

will be available for public inspection during regular business hours

in the FCC Public Reference Room, Room 239, 1919 M Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20554.

For further information concerning this proceeding, contact Brett

Tarnutzer, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division, Wireless

Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0660.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-30848 Filed 11-24-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-P