PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 1919 M STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 News Media Information: (202) 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand: (202) 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov DA 97-2634 December 17, 1997 FCC Announces Auction Schedule for the General Wireless Communications Service This Public Notice apprises potential applicants of important dates for the auction of licenses for the General Wireless Communications Service ("GWCS"). The dates listed below may be subject to change. This auction will consist of 875 GWCS licenses in the 4660 to 4685 MHz bands. Five licenses of five megahertz each will be offered in each of 172 EAs and three EA-like areas in the United States. The five licenses in each EA and EA- like area will be designated as blocks A through E. Each frequency block encompasses the following spectrum: Block A: 4460 - 4665 MHz. Block B: 4665 - 4670 MHz. Block C: 4670 - 4675 MHz. Block D: 4675 - 4680 MHz. Block E: 4680 - 4685 MHz. Key Dates: Short form (FCC Form 175) Application Deadline: April 28, 1998 Upfront Payment Deadline: May 11, 1998 Auction Commencement Date: May 27, 1998 Further details on this spectrum may be found in the GWCS Second Report and Order. Public notices and a bidder information package will provide upfront payment information and specific terms and conditions concerning the auction. Bidder Alerts:  The FCC does not approve any individual investment proposal, nor does it provide a warranty with respect to any license being auctioned. Potential applicants and investors are reminded that winning a license in an FCC spectrum auction is not a guarantee of success in the marketplace.  The FCC makes no representations or warranties about the use of spectrum for particular services. Applicants should be aware that an FCC auction represents an opportunity to become an FCC licensee, subject to certain conditions and regulations. An FCC auction does not constitute an endorsement by the FCC of any particular services, technologies, or products, nor does an FCC license constitute a guarantee of business success. Applicants should perform their individual due diligence before proceeding, as they would with any new business venture.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has found that some unscrupulous individuals have designed investment schemes around licenses auctioned or to be auctioned by the FCC. If you have an inquiry or complaint about a specific investment offering, call the National Fraud Information Center, 1-800-876-7060, or visit that organization's Internet web site at www.fraud.org. You also may contact your state attorney general or state corporations office. The FTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) receive complaints on investment fraud and offer consumer education materials. Contact the FTC at 202-326-3128 or visit its Internet web site at www.ftc.gov. Contact the SEC at 202-942-7040 or visit its Internet web site at www.sec.gov.  Potential applicants should also be aware of a pending rulemaking proceeding in which the FCC is considering changes to many of the auction rules, including attribution of gross revenues of investors in and affiliates of small businesses and whether to continue to permit small businesses to pay for licenses won in installment payments. Changes also recently have been adopted with respect to foreign ownership of U.S. telecommunications facilities. Potential applicants should also be aware of pending petitions for reconsideration of the GWCS Second Report and Order, decisions on which can be expected in the next few months. In addition, potential applicants should be aware of government operations in adjacent frequency bands and in certain geographic areas that need to be taken into account by commercial operations in the 4660 - 4685 Mhz band. The FCC is working with the Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration to release information regarding these government operations, which will be provided in a later public notice. Finally, potential applicants should be aware that when FCC licenses are subject to auction (i.e., because they are mutually exclusive) the recently enacted Balanced Budget Act of 1997 calls upon the FCC to prescribe methods by which a reasonable reserve price will be required or a minimum opening bid established, unless the FCC determines that a reserve price or minimum bid is not in the public interest. For further information, contact Kathy Garland, Lisa Hartigan, or LaVonia Connelly, Auctions and Industry Analysis Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0660. -FCC-