July 11, 1994       
                                          
         ELECTRONIC BIDDING AND OPEN OUTCRY DEMONSTRATIONS FOR 
            NARROWBAND PCS AND IVDS AUCTIONS JULY 24-29, 1994


     On Sunday, July 24, 1994, from 4 - 6 p.m. and again on
Monday, July 25, from 8 - 9:30 a.m. Tradewinds International,
Inc., (FCC's auction contractor) and Cantor Fitzgerald Brokerage 
will conduct an on-line electronic bidding demonstration for
narrowband Personal Communications Service (PCS).  The
demonstration will be held in the Blue Room of the Omni Shoreham
Hotel, located at 2500 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, D.C.  This
on-line electronic bidding demonstration will provide potential
bidders with a hands-on opportunity to gain experience in
utilizing the electronic bidding system. 

     On Wednesday, July 27, 1994, at 7:00 p.m. in the Regency
Room of the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Tradewinds International, Inc.,
(FCC's auctions contractor) and Larry Latham Auctioneers, Inc.,
will conduct a pre-auction seminar on open outcry for Interactive
Video Data Service (IVDS) auctions. This demonstration will
include a mock auction for potential bidders to get a "feel" for
how the auction will be conducted.  All potential bidders are
encouraged to attend a demonstration session. 

     Initial auctions for PCS and IVDS will begin on July 25,
1994, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, with registration for the
auction to take place on Sunday, July 24, 1994.  The auction will
begin promptly at 9 a.m. on the 25th.  This will mark the first
time the Commission will use the auction procedures to license
spectrum.  These demonstrations are open for potential bidders in
the July auctions. 

     Narrowband PCS will include advanced voice paging, two-way
acknowledgment paging, data messaging, and both one-way and two-
way messaging and facsimile.  It will be licensed on a
nationwide, Major Trading Area (MTA) and Basic Trading Area (BTA)
basis.  Only the ten available nationwide narrowband PCS licenses
will be included in the July auctions.

     

                                  (over)



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     IVDS is a new short distance communications service in which
licensees may provide information, products or services to
individual subscribers located at fixed locations, and these
subscribers may provide responses.  Service offerings that have
been contemplated for IVDS include home banking, home shopping,
and television viewer interaction in real time, to educational
and pay-per-view programming.  Approximately 600 IVDS licenses, 
available in MSA markets, will be auctioned in July.  

     Narrowband PCS will be auctioned first, with registration on
July 24 and the auctions on July 25, 26 and 27, with additional
time available, if necessary.

     IVDS will be next, with registration beginning on July 27
and the auctions on July 28 and 29.

     Ultimately, the Commission will issue a total of
approximately 3,500 narrowband PCS licenses and approximately
1,400 IVDS licenses.

     Press contact: Audrey Spivack and Susan Lewis Sallet at
(202) 418-0500.

     For more information on auctions in general, call the FCC's
Auctions hotline at (202) 418-1400; hearing impaired customers
can contact the hotline via Text Telephone at (202) 632-6999.  


     For specific information about either the narrowband or IVDS
auctions call the Commission's auctions contractor, Tradewinds
International, Inc. at (202) 637-FCC1 or fax a request to (202)
637-FCC2.

 - FCC -