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An NPRM on the incentive auction and low-power TV will...

An NPRM on the incentive auction and low-power TV will be circulated to the FCC commissioners’ offices next week, LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition Director Mike Gravino told us Friday. The information came from Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, Gravino said.…

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The FCC and bureau declined to comment. Lake said the NPRM was in the works at April’s NAB Show. Auction-related NPRMs on Part-15 unlicensed spectrum, wireless mics and aggregate interference will go on circulation at the same time, Gravino said. After the LPTV notice, the commission will also hold a LEARN (Learn Everything About Reverse-Auctions Now) session on the impact of the auction on LPTV, Gravino said the bureau told him. “While the exact date is not available, we anticipate this important event to be held in October or November 2014,” Gravino said in an email to coalition members (http://bit.ly/1xml6Mb). “We are glad the FCC has stepped up and is now giving LPTV their full attention for our very important rule making.” Though Fletcher Heald LPTV attorney Peter Tannenwald said it’s good that the FCC is moving quickly to address LPTV issues, he said the timing might also make the rulemaking more difficult, since many details of the auction still remain unclear. The LPTV rulemaking will include the issue of construction permits (CD Sept 5 p8), LPTV channel sharing, and how the commission will handle displacement filings, Gravino said. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, which had opposed an extension for LPTV CPs, “looks forward to participating in the Commission’s proceeding so that important issues about the rights of LPTV permittees and licensees can be fully considered in advance of the incentive auction,” said Vice President Alex Phillips.