David Oxenford at the Broadcast Law Blog reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an auction for 131 commercial FM channels July 23. Most frequencies are in Texas, and the minimum bids range from $1,500 to $75,000. Eighteen frequencies are left over from previous auctions, so they might go without bids again. Most are in very rural areas -- Columbia, Missouri and Maysville, Georgia command the top minimum bids. The FCC has made non-commercial FM frequencies available in recent years, including two rounds of low-power FM stations and one full-power non-commercial stations, and those did not require money, just filling out an application by a non-profit group and competing in a scoring system among other non-profits. These commercial licences are more of a capitalistic outing. Winning bids get construction permits to build out radio stations. Oxenford guesses that applications would be due in May, and "upfront" payments of at least the minimum bid would be required in June. "If you win the auction and decide that you can’t really find a transmitter site, then you may well be on the hook for the full amount of the bid even if you don’t build the station," Oxenford writes. Full applications, with the location of transmitter sites, would be about a month after the auction, he also guesses, based on past FCC actions. The FCC is also taking comments through April 1 on its auction procedures, so anyone who does not like the process can suggest other ways the FCC could make these frequencies available. Refer to Auction 98 in your comments. Read the full story at the Broadcast Law Blog.