Spectrum auctions are less effective at promoting minority station ownership than comparative hearings, according to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, which made several suggestions to the FCC in a filing related to the upcoming auction of FM CPs slated for November.
Minority station ownership from the previous auction of FM frequencies, Auction 37, “evidently has been negligible,” says the group, as the top three auction winners were wealthy non-minorities.
The FCC should study the eligibility requirements for its auctions to determine what barriers to minority bidders may have been imposed unnecessarily, and bidding credit eligibility should include a personal net worth cap, suggested the MMTC.
Owning an AM station should not prohibit someone from receiving a bidding credit for an FM in the same market, and the commission should more aggressively encourage minorities to bid on the upcoming auction permits, suggests the group.
Group Says Auction System Needs Tweaks for Minorities
Group Says Auction System Needs Tweaks for Minorities
