Implementation of Competitive Bidding for Commercial Broadcast and Instructional Television Fixed Service Licenses

This First Report and Order (First R&O) implements the Federal Communications Commission's amended auction authority. Specifically, the First R&O adopts rules and procedures for auctioning pending and future mutually exclusive applications for construction permits in the various commercial broadcast services; determines that competing Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) applications are subject to auction; and adopts procedures for resolving pending broadcast comparative renewal cases, in which the Commission is not authorized to use auctions. To further the goals of the designated entity provisions of the Commission's auction authority, the First R&O adopts a tiered ``new entrant'' bidding credit for entities with controlling interests in either no, or less than four, other media entities. The First R&O notes that the Commission intends to continue its review of the barriers to entry or growth that may exist for small, minority- and women-owned businesses in broadcasting, and to make adjustments to its designated entity provisions, as appropriate, in light of these studies.