FCC Sets Procedures, Dates, and Minimum Bids for Full Power FM Auction

The FCC has adopted procedures and set deadlines and minimum bid amounts for the upcoming auction of 132 FM construction permits for full power FM broadcast stations. The auction, named Auction 114, is scheduled to begin on February 2, 2027. The list of available construction permits includes 33 permits that were previously unsold or defaulted upon in prior auctions.

Auction 114 will have a simultaneous multiple-round auction format with anonymous bidding procedures to limit disclosure of bidder identities and bidding strategies until after the auction closes. The FCC will require upfront payments to establish bidding eligibility and will impose a 20% default payment on winning bidders that default or are disqualified.

The following dates and deadlines apply to Auction 114:

• • Auction Application Tutorial Available – August 21, 2026
  • Short-Form Application Filing Window Opens – September 14, 2026 (12:00 p.m. ET)
  • Short-Form Application Filing Deadline – September 30, 2026 (6:00 p.m. ET)
  • Upfront Payments Due via Wire Transfer – December 3, 2026 (6:00 p.m. ET)
  • Bidding Tutorial Available– No later than January 6, 2027
  • Mock Auction – January 6, 2027
  • Auction Bidding– Begins February 2, 2027

“Short-form” applications will be filed electronically in the FCC’s Auction Application System (AAS) using FCC Form 175. The short form requires ownership information for the applicant and disclosure of any bidding arrangements with any other party. If two or more short forms are submitted specifying the same FM allotment, that construction permit will be awarded by auction. The short form does not require detailed engineering plans. Technical plans are submitted by winning bidders on long-form applications filed after the auction. The names of applicants, the channels they are interested in, and the number of bidding credits purchased will not be public during the auction.

Bidders without an attributable interest in any full power TV or radio broadcast station, daily newspaper, or cable TV system are eligible for a 35% bidding credit. Bidders with an attributable interest in no more than three such media outlets, none of which are in the same geographic area as the new station being bid on, are eligible for a 25% bidding credit.

Strict prohibitions bar applicants for the same allotment from communicating or cooperating regarding bids or bidding strategies. Applicants are required to certify that they have reviewed the auction procedures and understand the requirements for obtaining an FM construction permit in the auction.

On September 14, 2026, the FCC will impose a filing freeze on FM applications that could impact the channels to be auctioned. No applications or proposals that would request a change in one of the channels, or which would be short-spaced to one of the reference coordinates for these allocations, can be filed.

For more information about participating in Auction 114, contact Nancy Ory in our Media Practice Group.