PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 1919 M STREET N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 News media information 202/418-1500 Recorded listing of releases and texts 202/418-2222. October 24, 1995 FCC ANNOUNCES AUCTION SIMULATION FOR MDS AND 900 MH z SMR APPLICANTS MOCK AUCTION SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 31, 1995 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces that it will conduct an auction simulation on October 31, 1995. The purpose of this simulation is two-fold: (1) to better acquaint potential bidders with the electronic bidding process and software; and (2) to further refine the Commission's software and make it as user-friendly and reliable as possible. This simulation will consist of a mock electronic auction for licenses in the top 20 markets. The program will assume that each bidder applied for all of the licenses in the top 20 markets and submitted the corresponding upfront payment amounts for those licenses. The auction rules governing this mock auction will follow the rules governing the Multipoint Distribution Service (MDS) and 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) service auctions as closely as possible. The mock auction will begin in Stage I, so bidders will be required to be active on at least fifty percent of their activity units, or else face a reduction in the number of available activity units. The single round of bidding for the mock auction will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) pursuant to the following schedule: Round One: Bid Submission 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Bid Submission Round Results 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. Bid Withdrawal 11:30 - 12:00 a.m. Bid Withdrawal Round Results 12:00 - 12:30 a.m. The mock auction will be open to 200 participants on a first-come first-serve basis, but will be limited to individuals or entities who have filed FCC Form 175-Ms or intend to file FCC Form 175s for the MDS and 900 MHz SMR auctions. Individuals planning to participate in the C Block Personal Communications Service auction may submit their names for a waiting list and will be allowed to participate, space permitting. Participation in this simulation is not guaranteed. To register for the simulation, contact Tradewinds International, Inc. at (202) 637-3221 (637-FCC1) or fax the attached registration form to (202) 417-0692. Registrants will receive an access code to participate in the auction simulation. Parties must register no later than 12:00 noon on Monday, October 30. Remote Bidding Software will be made available to registrants via the Internet and the FCC Auction Bulletin Board System (BBS) beginning Wednesday, October 25, 1995. See Attachment A, infra. The FCC Auction BBS number is 202-682-5851. This software is specifically designed for the simulation and is not adaptable to any FCC spectrum auctions. As part of the software, the Commission has set up a suggestion box and welcomes your comments regarding the software. For additional information regarding this Public Notice, please contact Diane Law or Wendy Chow, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0660. - FCC - Attachment A Hardware and Software Requirements and Instructions for Installing Remote Bidding Software About Your Software All FCC Remote Electronic Auction System Software requires ppp software that is Winsock vl.l compliant to access the FCC system. Configuration parameters for Trumpet v2.1f, NetManage Chameleon v4.1 and Wollongong Pathway Access for Windows v3.2 software are included in the README.TXT file associated with the Remote Bidding Software. Recommended Hardware and Software Requirements to Access the FCC Auction System You will need at minimum the following hardware: CPU: Intel 80386 or above (80486 or faster recommended) RAM: 8MB RAM (more recommended if you have multiple applications open) Hard Disk: 10MB available disk space 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive (to install the FCC Remote Bidding Software) Three blank MS-DOS formatted 1.44MB floppy disks Modem: v.32bis 14.4kbps Hayes compatible modem Monitor: VGA or above Mouse or other pointing device Microsoft Windows 3.1 or above, or Microsoft Windows for WorkGroups v3.11 or above* PPP asynchronous communications package Winsock v1.1 compliant* The Remote Bidding System has not been tested on a Macintosh, OS/2, or Windows95 environment. Therefore the FCC will not provide assistance to those who cannot run Microsoft Windows 3.1 or above, or Windows for Workgroups v3.11 or above in an enhanced mode. This includes any other emulated Windows environments. If your Windows is in a networked environment, you should check with your local network administrator for any potential conflicts with the ppp software package you will use to connect to the FCC network. This usually includes any TCP/IP installed network protocol. For assistance in downloading, extracting, installing, or using FCC application software contact the FCC Technical Support Hotline at (202) 414-1260. Installing Your PPP Software Before you can use the FCC Remote Bidding Software, you will need to install the ppp software. The ppp software should include documentation sufficient to install their product. Please see the README.TXT file associated with the Remote Bidding Software for various ppp software hints and configuration parameters. Trumpet is a shareware product which can be found on the Internet. It can be downloaded via ftp (be sure to download in binary mode). Trumpet v2.1f can be found at ftp.trumpet.com.au in the directory /winsock as twsk21f.zip. You will need PKWare s v2.04g pkunzip.exe to uncompress these files. PKWare v2.04g can be found at oak.oakland.edu in the directory /simtel/msdos/zip as pkz204g.exe. This is a self-extracting file. Type pkz204g.exe to extract the file pkunzip.exe. Please be aware of any licensing issues for these shareware products. The information is included in the respective package. Where to get Remote Bidding Software Applicants who wish to participate must first download the FCC-provided application software from the Internet or the FCC Bulletin Board System. Detailed Internet Instruction To access the FCC ftp server, you will need to have access to the Internet and ftp client software. Graphical ftp interfaces may differ; please check with your local computer specialist. FTP: The following instructions are for the command line version of ftp. 1. Connect to the FCC ftp server by typing ftp fcc.gov 2. At the user name prompt, type anonymous [Enter] 3. At the password prompt, type your Internet e-mail address [Enter] 4. To allow the file to be downloaded type: binary [Enter] 5. Change your current directory to the Mock directory by typing: cd /pub/Auctions/Mock [Enter] 6. Use the get command to download files from the FCC ftp server by typing: get MOCKV1.EXE [Enter] 7. If you wish to exit, type: bye [Enter] Gopher: gopher.fcc.gov or use any gopher to get to "all the gophers in the world" then 'U.S.' then 'DC' then 'FCC'. World Wide Web: ftp://fcc.gov Detailed BBS Instructions The FCC Auction Bulletin Board System provides dial-in access for the FCC-provided application software. In order to access the FCC Auction BBS, use a communications package that can handle at least xmodem protocol (e.g., pcAnyWhere, Telix, Procomm) to dial in to (202) 682-5851. Use the settings of 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit (8,N,1). For new users follow steps 1-6, otherwise go to step 7: 1. Type New, [Enter]. If the word ANSI is blinking, type Y for yes. If the word ANSI is not blinking, type N for No 2. Type in your first and last name and press [Enter]. This will be your login name 3. Type in your Telephone number and press [Enter] 4. Type in your Fax number and press [Enter] 5. Type in what you want your password to be and press [Enter] 6. Retype the password for verification and press [Enter] Once the account is generated: 7. Type M for MDS Auction Files and press [Enter] 9. Type P for Programs and Applications and press [Enter] 10. Move the cursor to the file named MOCKV1.EXE and type [Control]-D (hold the Ctrl key down and press the D key) for Download and press [Enter] 11. Type the letter representing the transfer protocol desired and press [Enter]. How the file is downloaded and where it gets downloaded depends on the transfer protocol package used. To Exit: 12. Type X to Exit and press [Enter] and continue to do so until asked if you want to Exit the BBS. Press Y for Yes when asked to verify your leaving. Creating Installation Disks from Downloaded Files The FCC-provided application software available through Internet and the FCC Auction BBS will be in a self-extracting compressed file format. Once the compressed file has been downloaded, you will need to generate the installation disks. You will need to have three (3) blank MS-DOS formatted 3.5" 1.44MB disks. To generate the installation disks, type MOCKV1.EXE /! and press [Enter]. Installing FCC Remote Bidding Software Disks If you had previously downloaded and installed FCC remote application software then during installation the setup program will prompt you to update any existing files. You MUST update all the existing files. The extracted files will be executable programs for submitting bids and suggestions, viewing round results, messages, and announcements along with a README.TXT file. The text file will provide instructions for installing the software on the applicant's personal computer. After you create the installation disks, restart Windows and run SETUP.EXE from installation Disk 1 of 3 and follow the instructions on the screen. For technical assistance in downloading, extracting or installing the FCC application software contact the FCC Technical Support Hotline at (202) 414-1260. Running FCC Remote Bidding System After the FCC Remote Bidding System installation completes, you will have a new Program Manager group called FCC Auction with five icons: Bid Submission, Round Results Viewer, Announcements, Messages, and Suggestion Box. You must start the ppp software and be connected before you start any of these systems. To start up any of these systems, you double click the respective icon. When you are finished, be sure to disconnect from the FCC Network via your ppp software. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING ALL FCC REMOTE ELECTRONIC AUCTION SYSTEM SOFTWARE CAN BE FOUND IN THE README FILE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESPECTIVE SOFTWARE MODULE AS WELL AS IN THE CONTEXT SENSITIVE HELP FUNCTION ASSOCIATED WITH EACH MODULE. FCC AUCTION SIMULATION REGISTRATION Tuesday, October 31, 1995 Please feel free to either phone or fax in your registration by October 30, 1995 at 12:00 noon to: Tradewinds International GAT Washington National Airport, Suite 215 Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 637-FCC1 (3221) Fax: (202) 417-0692 Name ____________________________________________________________ Company ____________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Phone Number ____________________________________________________________ Fax Number ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ FOR FCC USE ONLY: FCC Account #____________________________________________________________ (To be assigned during registration) An FCC Account number which is necessary to participate in the Auction Simulation will be faxed back if you register by fax, or provided over the telephone if you register by phone. Please refer to Attachment A of the Public Notice dated October 24, 1995 for instructions on downloading software from the Internet or Bulletin Board Service (BBS) to participate in this Auction Simulation.