The Federal Communications Commission’s Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau granted a request from 20 broadcast TV stations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands impacted by Hurricanes Irma and María to allow them to construct post-auction facilities ahead of schedule.
“The Commission has made it a top priority to assist with the recovery from last year’s devastating hurricanes,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said. “Today, we’re taking another important step to expedite the restoration of vital communications services.”
“Before today, many broadcast television stations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were facing
a choice between two bad options: either remain dark for months or years to come, or restore service on
their pre-auction channel, only to have to rebuild their broadcast facility again in a year or two,” he said.
Now, stations are no longer confronting that choice because they’ll be able to use their post-auction channel more quickly. Moreover, affected stations will now be able to access the TV Broadcaster Reimbursement Fund to cover portions of their recovery costs attributable to the post-incentive auction channel reassignment.
“The bottom line is that residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to access
emergency communications and other valuable broadcast content sooner as a result of this decision. I’m
grateful to the Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau for working with these stations on a
“This project not only represents a significant investment in our island’s tourism infrastructure, but also symbolizes Puerto Rico’s ability to attract and execute large-scale projects.
The Investment Portfolio Program, with a budget of $800 million, plays a crucial role in offering loans with favorable terms for the development of projects that have the potential to transform the Puerto Rican economy.”
— Puerto Rico Housing Secretary William Rodríguez regarding the construction of a $77 million dual-branded hotel project in San Juan’s Convention Center District, featuring Hilton’s Hampton and Homewood Suites.
The project by PRISA Group includes a 400-vehicle parking structure and a 175,000-square-foot hotel tower, financed by Banco Popular and a $10 million federal disaster recovery loan from the Economic Development Investment Portfolio Program managed by the Department of Housing.