PUBLIC NOTICE


FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
1919 M STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554
     
News media information 202/418-0500  

Released: January 23, 1996                                       DA 96-64


                DBS AUCTION BID WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURES

According to the FCC's Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) auction procedures, if a bid is withdrawn, the
Commission will reoffer the permit in the next round at the highest price at or above which bids were
made in previous rounds by three or more bidders.  See "FCC Announces Auction of Direct Broadcast
Satellite Service," Public Notice (Rel. Dec. 21, 1995), p. 11.   Pursuant to delegated authority granted
to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau to administer and conduct the DBS auction, this Public
Notice specifies the procedures to be used in the event that there are only two bidders participating in
either the 110 or 148 orbital location DBS auctions.  See Revision of Rules and Policies for the Direct
Broadcast Satellite Service, Report and Order, FCC 95-507 ( Rel. Dec. 15, 1995),  223.

There are three qualified bidders for the 110 orbital location.  In the event that one of the qualified
bidders does not actually submit any bids and one of the other qualified bidders withdraws its high bid,
the Commission will re-offer the 110 permit at $125 million, the minimum opening bid.  

There are two qualified bidders for the 148 orbital location.  In the event that one of the qualified
bidders withdraws its high bid, the Commission will re-offer the permit with no minimum bid.  In this
case, the remaining qualified bidder could acquire the permit with a bid of greater than zero dollars. 
The bidder that withdrew its high bid is required to tender to the Commission a bid withdrawal
payment equal to the difference between its withdrawn bid and the amount of the winning bid. 

Bidding in the FCC's DBS auction is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30 a.m. on January 24,
1996 at the FCC's auction site, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 

News Media Contact:  Kara Palamaras at  (202) 418-0654.

FCC Auctions Contact:  Jay Markley or Diane Conley at (202) 418-0660.
                  Jonathan Levy at (202) 418-2030.

                                -FCC-