With the actual auction date just around the corner, the FCC identified 88 applicants that are qualified to bid in the upcoming FM broadcast construction permit auction known as Auction 98.
Bidding on the auction is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.on Thursday, July 23, in a series of four rounds. The auction itself will take place over the Internet and by telephone (via an auction bidder line provided to qualified bidders).
The FCC is auctioning 131 FM broadcast CPs, with more than half of those located in Texas. A few locations are in states such as California, Oregon, Oklahoma and Colorado, with a smattering in smaller states like New Hampshire and Vermont. Opening minimum bids for these 131 CPs vary significantly, with the lowest minimum opening bid for a Class A CP in Memphis, Texas, starting at $500. In contrast, the minimum opening bid for a Class C2 station in Columbia, Mo., is $75,000.
To help bidders prepare for the real thing, a mock auction will be held for qualified bidders on Monday, July 20, 10 a.m. This mock auction will allow qualified bidders to familiarize themselves with the FCC auction system and ask questions of auction staff and technical support staff. Bidders can participate in the mock auction in the same manner (via Internet and phone).
Not all applicants for Auction 98, which were to be submitted in May, were approved. Twenty-four applications submitted by the deadline were denied.
This story has been updated to reflect that the Memphis mentioned is the city in Texas, not in Tennessee.
