FCC Confirms Agreement With Mexico on TV Station Repacking Tied to Incentive Auction
Mexico and the U.S. had a meeting of the minds on spectrum repacking after the TV incentive auction, said Mindel De La Torre, chief of the FCC International Bureau, in a blog post Friday. A formal joint announcement with more information on the agreements is expected soon, an FCC official told us. Reports emerged earlier in the week that Mexico and the U.S. had effectively reached an agreement addressing a still-unsettled area heading into the auction (see 1507220071).
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De La Torre said Mexico’s Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) “confirmed through an exchange of technical coordination letters with the FCC that our two agencies intend to follow common guidelines for repacking TV stations that will clear 600 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband use in both countries.” De La Torre called the agreement “exciting progress” toward an auction.
“Last year, Mexico announced its plan to relocate all of its television stations below channel 37, and this exchange of letters outlines the procedures by which we will work together to help advance the ongoing FCC and IFT spectrum reconfiguration process,” De La Torre said. “They also describe the procedures by which the two agencies intend to help advance both Mexico’s analog-to-digital transition and the ongoing FCC and IFT spectrum reconfiguration process.”
The FCC Incentive Auction Team released a public notice in May on impairment and clearing spectrum in the auction, which didn't examine broadcast interference from Mexico (see 1505210054).
"Kudos to the International and Incentive Auction Staff for their hard work in reaching this agreement,” emailed Preston Padden, executive director of the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition. “We look forward to seeing the details."