[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 15369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6316]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[AU Docket No. 12-25; DA 12-355]


Mobility Fund Phase I Auction GIS Data of Potentially Eligible 
Census Blocks

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission's Wireless Telecommunications 
and Wireline Competition Bureaus (the ``Bureaus'') announce the 
availability of geographic information system (GIS) data for the census 
blocks potentially eligible for Mobility Fund Phase I support to be 
offered in Auction 901. This data does not update or replace the list 
of potentially eligible blocks. Rather, it provides the same data in 
additional formats and thus just supplements the previously-released 
data files and interactive map. The Bureaus are taking this step to 
make the data accessible to more people and to make it easier to use 
for individual analysis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Stover of the Auctions and 
Spectrum Access Division at (717) 338-2868. To request materials in 
accessible formats (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio 
format) for people with disabilities, send an email to [email protected] 
or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 
or (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Mobility Fund Phase 
I Auction GIS Data for Potentially Eligible Census Blocks Public Notice 
(Public Notice) released on March 8, 2012. The Public Notice and 
related Commission documents may be purchased from the Commission's 
duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), 445 12th 
Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone 202-488-5300, 
fax 202-488-5563, or you may contact BCPI at its Web site: http://www.BCPIWEB.com. When ordering documents from BCPI, please provide the 
appropriate FCC document number, for example, DA 12-121. The Public 
Notice and related documents also are available on the Internet at the 
Commission's Web site: http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/or by using 
the search function for AU Docket No. 12-25 on the Commission's 
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) Web page at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/.
    1. In the Auction 901 Comment Public Notice, the Bureaus concluded 
that they would identify census blocks eligible for the Mobility Fund 
Phase I support to be offered in Auction 901 based on an analysis of 
the most recent available American Roamer data, from January 2012. A 
summary of the Auction 901 Comment Public Notice was published in the 
Federal Register at 77 Fed. Reg. 7152 (Feb. 10, 2012). With the Auction 
901 Comment Public Notice, the Bureaus provided, at paragraphs 15, and 
18-19, a preliminary list of such blocks using older American Roamer 
data and stated that they would provide an updated list of potentially 
eligible census blocks and related updated information upon completion 
of their analysis of the January 2012 American Roamer data. With the 
Auction 901 Updated Potentially Eligible Blocks Public Notice, (77 FR 
9655, February 17, 2012), the Bureaus provided the updated list of 
potentially eligible blocks based on January 2012 American Roamer data 
in electronic format as ``Attachment A'' files.
    2. Concurrent with the release of Auction 901 Updated Potentially 
Eligible Blocks Public Notice, the Bureaus announced the availability 
of a map of the updated potentially eligible blocks. The map is an 
interactive visual representation of data from the updated Attachment A 
files. The Attachment A files contain more information and generally 
more detail than is displayed on the map. The map is available at 
http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/and at http://www.fcc.gov/maps/.
    3. The data formats the Bureaus make available are additional 
formats of the data as shown in the interactive map. These formats, 
which are available at http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/, are the 
following:

 Downloadable shapefile
 Web mapping service
 MapBox map tiles

    4. The shapefile format is actually four individual files (.dbf, 
.shp, .shx, and .prj) all with the same prefix. That information is 
available at: ``Esri Shapefile Technical Description,'' http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf. This format is 
generally recognized as a standard transfer file for GIS data. The 
shapefile is an accepted transfer in just about every GIS software 
package.
    5. Web mapping service (WMS) is an Open Geospatial Consortium 
standard for delivering geospatial data over the web. That information 
is available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards. The WMS data 
service can be viewed in two ways. First, the data can be viewed by 
using the URL. Second, most GIS software allows you to add this service 
as a layer to your session or project.
    6. MapBox map tiles are cached map tiles of the data. With this 
open source software approach, these image tiles can be joined with 
other MapBox layers to make new maps. This information is available at 
http://mapbox.com/.
    7. For additional information about Auction 901, including an 
overview of requirements to participate in the auction and proposals 
for auction procedures, you should consult the Auction 901 Comment 
Public Notice. As set forth in that public notice, comments were due 
February 24, and reply comments were due March 9, 2012. As set forth in 
``Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; Limited Extension of Deadlines for 
Comments and Reply Comments on Census Block Eligibility Challenges,'' 
comments and reply comments on census block eligibility challenges are 
due March 16, 2012, and March 26, 2012, respectively. Public notices 
and additional information about Auction 901 may be found at http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/.

Federal Communications Commission.
Gary Michaels,
Deputy Chief, Auctions and Spectrum Access Division, WTB.
[FR Doc. 2012-6316 Filed 3-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P