[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57085-57086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22907]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[AU Docket No. 12-25; DA 12-1446]


Mobility Fund Phase I Auction; Release of Files with Recalculated 
Road Miles for Auction 901; Mock Auction Rescheduled for September 21, 
2012

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications and Wireline 
Competition Bureaus announce updated data files of census blocks 
eligible for the Mobility Fund Phase I support to be offered in Auction 
901, which is to be held on September 27, 2012, and the change of the 
mock auction date from September 25, 2012 to September 21, 2012.

DATES: The mock auction is rescheduled for September 21, 2012. Auction 
901 is scheduled to be held on September 27, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, 
Auctions and Spectrum Access Division: Lisa Stover at (717) 338-2868.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Auction 901 Updated 
Data Files and Mock Auction Date Change Public Notice released on 
September 7, 2012. The Auction 901 Updated Data Files and Mock Auction 
Date Change Public Notice and its associated attachment as well as 
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 12-1446. The Auction 
901 Updated Data Files and Mock Auction Date Change 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 Procedures Public Notice, 77 FR 32092, May 
31, 2012, the Bureaus identified census blocks eligible for the 
Mobility Fund Phase I support to be offered in Auction 901. The Bureaus 
also released files containing detailed information about these census 
blocks in a number of data formats, and a file with information about 
the more than 14,000 biddable geographic areas for Auction 901. These 
biddable items include: (1) The census tract-level aggregations of 
eligible census blocks, (2) separate aggregations of Tribal blocks and 
non-Tribal blocks for tracts that contain some eligible blocks that are 
in a Tribal land and other eligible blocks that are not in a Tribal 
land, and (3) individual eligible census blocks in Alaska. The Bureaus 
now announce the availability of updated versions of these files, which 
are available via the link for ``Attachment A Files'' at http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/. An updated summary of the eligible 
census blocks is attached to the Auction 901 Updated Data Files and 
Mock Auction Date Change Public Notice.
    2. These files do not change the set of eligible census blocks or 
biddable items. The only changes made are to the road miles listed for 
certain of the eligible census blocks and their associated biddable 
items. Comparing the recalculated road miles released today to the 
previously-released data, the Bureaus note that: (1) More than 80% of 
the biddable items have either no change in road miles or a change of 
less than 1 mile; and (2) Fewer than 200 of the more than 14,000 
biddable items have changes of at least 1 road mile and more than 25% 
of the previous total road miles.
    3. The Bureaus recently became aware of some anomalies in the 
calculated

[[Page 57086]]

road miles for certain of the eligible census blocks, and as a result 
the Bureaus have reviewed their procedures for calculating road miles. 
The Bureaus' review indicates that the previously-posted files 
overstated the eligible road miles in certain cases. Newly-calculated 
files are available on the Auction 901 Web site (http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/) via the link for ``Attachment A 
Files.''
    4. Based on the Bureaus' review, they have determined that the 
overstatement resulted from an error in processing the relevant census 
data files relating to road miles. By way of background, as stated in 
the Auction 901 Comment Public Notice, 77 FR 7152, February 10, 2012, 
in calculating the number of road miles associated with each eligible 
census block, the Bureaus used the sum of linear road miles within the 
block plus half of the sum of linear road miles that form a border with 
an adjacent block. The Bureaus included half of the sum of the border 
roads so these linear miles are not double counted and are 
appropriately attributed to each eligible block. In order to make this 
calculation, they considered data in census TIGER files that defines 
census block borders, other geographic borders, and linear features 
such as roads. Due to an error in joining these data files, the 
Bureaus' previous files overstated the calculation of road miles within 
certain census blocks.
    5. The Bureaus' review also indicated that, based on the different 
ways in which various software treats fractions, the Bureaus could 
improve the consistency of their data by standardizing their rounding 
procedures. So the Bureaus now round all road mile numbers to 
hundredths of miles (two decimal places). As a result, the road mile 
figures in some cases may be slightly different than the previously-
released data due to the new rounding procedures.
    6. The Bureaus also reschedule the upcoming mock auction for 
Auction 901. The mock auction, initially scheduled for September 25, 
2012, will instead take place on September 21, 2012. The mock auction 
will enable qualified bidders to become familiar with the FCC Auction 
System and to practice submitting bids. Auction 901 will proceed as 
scheduled on
    Thursday, September 27, 2012. Consistent with its usual practice, 
the Commission intends to announce qualified bidders and distribute 
registration materials by overnight mail approximately ten days before 
the auction. All other previously-announced auction procedures and 
requirements remain the same.

    Federal Communications Commission.
Gary D. Michaels,
Deputy Chief, Auctions and Spectrum Access Division, WTB.
[FR Doc. 2012-22907 Filed 9-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P