FCC Gets Spectrum of Reaction on Incentive Auction Vote

The Federal Communications Commission got plenty of reaction to its vote seeking comment on the details of a proposed broadcast incentive auction mechanism, including details about bidding on both the reverse end -- broadcasters volunteering to give up spectrum at a price -- and the forward end -- wireless companies buying up those spectrum licenses.

One thing that caught the attention of Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker was the FCC's use of an 84 MHz clearing target, rather than the 126 MHz the FCC used in estimates it offered up to broadcasters on how much their spectrum might be worth. The National Association of Broadcasters, which has sued the FCC over portions of its auction framework, was keeping its powder dry and accentuating the positive. The Consumer Electronics Association, which wants the FCC to get on with the auction -- now scheduled for 2016 -- to free up wireless spectrum for all the tablets and computers and smart phones its members produce, signaled it thought the FCC was on the right track.