FCC Signals Second Tranche of Repack Bucks

The Federal Communications Commission's Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau said that there would be an additional allocation coming from the $1.75 billion incentive auction repack fund. The FCC says it has now received both verified and unverified expenses that total $1.95 billion, so it was time to dip into the fund once more, which will come in the next 4-6 weeks, or perhaps in time for broadcasters to celebrate the infusion at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in early April. The FCC signaled there would be multiple allocations following its almost $1 billion initial allocation last October to cover expenses related to moving to new channels after the auction. It has also signaled that the $1.75 billion would not be enough. The FCC said the new money was coming even though most eligible entities--TV stations and some cable operators--are not yet close to exhausting their initial allocation. That was because it said a number looked like they would soon reach or in some cases exceed that initial outlay.