Summary
July 14, 2004 - July 14, 2004
Rounds:
2
Bidding Days:
1
Qualified Bidders:
2
Winning Bidders:
2 bidders won 3 licenses
Gross Bids:
$12,200,000
Net Bids:
$12,200,000
Charts Files
General Information
12/21/2005
PUBLIC NOTICE (FCC 05-213)
Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Service Auction Nullified: Commission Sets Forth Refund Procedures for Auction No. 52 Winning Bidders and Adopts a Freeze on All New DBS Service Applications
12/3/2004
ORDER (FCC 04-271)
Auction of Direct Broadcast Satellite Licenses
7/19/2004
PUBLIC NOTICE (DA 04-2158)
Direct Broadcast Satellite Service Licenses Auction Closes; Winning Bidders Announced
Fact Sheet
Date:
Auction 52 began on 7/14/2004 and closed on 7/14/2004.
Round 2 (See PN DA 04-2158)
Winning Bidders:
2 bidders won 3 licenses
Rounds:
2
Qualified Bidders:
2
Licenses Won:
3
Total Licenses:
3
Net Bids:
$12,200,000
Gross Bids:
$12,200,000
- Key Dates
- Licenses Offered
- Permissible Operations
- License Period and Geographic Service Rules
- Coordination Among DBS Licensees
- Other Services in the 12.2 - 12.7 GHz Band
- Other Services in the 17.3 - 17.8 GHz Band
- Other Licensing and Service Rules
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Auction No. 52 offered a total of 3 licenses to use the Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS") service allocation in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band (service links) and 17.3-17.8 GHz band (feeder links). These licenses were for unassigned channels at orbit locations of 175° W.L. (32 channels), 166° W.L. (32 channels), and 157° W.L. (29 channels).
Bandwidth
For the DBS service, it is more precise to describe licenses by the number of channels available at a particular orbit location than by the corresponding bandwidth of the frequencies. As stated above, for this auction, the numbers of channels available at the 175° W.L., 166° W.L., and 157° W.L. orbit locations are 32, 32, and 29, respectively. The International Telecommunication Union ("ITU") Plan for the broadcasting-satellite service in the frequency band 12.2-12.7 GHz in ITU Region 2 ("the Plan"), first adopted at the 1983 Regional Administrative Radio Conference, divides the 12.2-12.7 GHz DBS service link (downlink) and corresponding 17.3-17.8 GHz feeder link (uplink) frequency bands into 32 equally-spaced overlapping channels, with 12 megahertz-wide guard bands at the lower and upper ends of the bands. Each channel is nominally 24 megahertz-wide, and adjacent channels are spaced 14.58 megahertz center-to-center. In the space-to-Earth (service link) direction, Channel 1 is centered at 12.224 GHz, and Channel 32 is centered at 12.67598 GHz. In the Earth-to-space (feeder link) direction Channel 1 is centered at 17.324 GHz, and Channel 32 is centered at 17.77598 GHz. Under the Plan, odd-numbered channels at the 175° W.L., 166° W.L., and 157° W.L. orbit locations are transmitted in both directions using right-hand circular polarization, and even-numbered channels are transmitted using left-hand circular polarization.
Bandwidth
For the DBS service, it is more precise to describe licenses by the number of channels available at a particular orbit location than by the corresponding bandwidth of the frequencies. As stated above, for this auction, the numbers of channels available at the 175° W.L., 166° W.L., and 157° W.L. orbit locations are 32, 32, and 29, respectively. The International Telecommunication Union ("ITU") Plan for the broadcasting-satellite service in the frequency band 12.2-12.7 GHz in ITU Region 2 ("the Plan"), first adopted at the 1983 Regional Administrative Radio Conference, divides the 12.2-12.7 GHz DBS service link (downlink) and corresponding 17.3-17.8 GHz feeder link (uplink) frequency bands into 32 equally-spaced overlapping channels, with 12 megahertz-wide guard bands at the lower and upper ends of the bands. Each channel is nominally 24 megahertz-wide, and adjacent channels are spaced 14.58 megahertz center-to-center. In the space-to-Earth (service link) direction, Channel 1 is centered at 12.224 GHz, and Channel 32 is centered at 12.67598 GHz. In the Earth-to-space (feeder link) direction Channel 1 is centered at 17.324 GHz, and Channel 32 is centered at 17.77598 GHz. Under the Plan, odd-numbered channels at the 175° W.L., 166° W.L., and 157° W.L. orbit locations are transmitted in both directions using right-hand circular polarization, and even-numbered channels are transmitted using left-hand circular polarization.
License Terms
Licenses are issued for a ten-year term for non-broadcast DBS licensees and an eight-year term for broadcast DBS licensees.
Due Diligence
Licensees are required to complete contracting for construction of the satellite station(s) within 1 year of the grant of the authorization. Construction of the first satellite in the DBS system must be completed within 4 years. All satellite stations in a DBS system shall be in operation within 6 years of the grant of the authorization. In addition, DBS licensees must submit annual progress reports on system implementation pursuant to Section 25.210(1) of the Commission’s rules.
Geographic Service
As required by Section 25.148(c) of the Commission’s rules, those entities acquiring DBS authorizations after January 19, 1996, must provide DBS service to Alaska and Hawaii where such service is technically feasible from the authorized orbit location. DBS applicants seeking to operate from locations other than 61.5° W.L. that do not provide service to Alaska and Hawaii must provide technical analyses to the Commission demonstrating that such service is not feasible as a technical matter, or that while technically feasible such services would require so many compromises in satellite design and operation as to make it economically unreasonable.
Licenses are issued for a ten-year term for non-broadcast DBS licensees and an eight-year term for broadcast DBS licensees.
Due Diligence
Licensees are required to complete contracting for construction of the satellite station(s) within 1 year of the grant of the authorization. Construction of the first satellite in the DBS system must be completed within 4 years. All satellite stations in a DBS system shall be in operation within 6 years of the grant of the authorization. In addition, DBS licensees must submit annual progress reports on system implementation pursuant to Section 25.210(1) of the Commission’s rules.
Geographic Service
As required by Section 25.148(c) of the Commission’s rules, those entities acquiring DBS authorizations after January 19, 1996, must provide DBS service to Alaska and Hawaii where such service is technically feasible from the authorized orbit location. DBS applicants seeking to operate from locations other than 61.5° W.L. that do not provide service to Alaska and Hawaii must provide technical analyses to the Commission demonstrating that such service is not feasible as a technical matter, or that while technically feasible such services would require so many compromises in satellite design and operation as to make it economically unreasonable.
(These licenses can be identified using the FCC’s Universal Licensing System Advanced License Search feature to search for licenses in the Microwave Site-Based Service Group using frequencies in the range from 17700 MHz to 17800 MHz.).
- 47 C.F.R. Part 25
- DBS licensees have the choice of providing service on a broadcast, common carrier, or non-broadcast, non-common carrier basis.
- DBS is governed by domestic regulations as well as international regulations administered by the ITU.
- DBS licensees are subject to Equal Employment Opportunity rules set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 25.601.
- DBS licensees are subject to the public interest obligations set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 25.701.
Releases P
12/21/2005
PUBLIC NOTICE (FCC 05-213)
Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Service Auction Nullified: Commission Sets Forth Refund Procedures for Auction No. 52 Winning Bidders and Adopts a Freeze on All New DBS Service Applications
The Commission hereby nullifies the results of Auction No. 52, an auction of Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS") licenses conducted on July 14, 2004.
No results here for this auction.
No results here for this auction.
No results here for this auction.