The FCC, which has pledged to make the broadcaster incentive
auctions as easy to understand and participate in as possible, has
revamped its LEARN (Learn Everything About Reverse-Auctions Now) website.
Among the new features on the site
is a summary of the process created by the incentive auction task force.
The idea behind the revamp, according to source familiar
with the new versions, is to provide a "plain English" primer on the
auctions. New features include links to the commission's comment page, as well
as graphs, charts and videos to let users dig deeper into the process if they
choose.
Jan. 25 is the deadline for broadcasters to file initial
comments on the auction framework, which the FCC proposed back in October.
Gary Epstein, chair of the Incentive Auction Task Force, has
said that his goal is to keep the auction complexity "under the hood"
as it were, which would make sense both in terms of user-friendliness and in
making it as easy for broadcasters to participate -- and give up spectrum the
FCC wants -- as possible.
