WILEY Y. DANIEL, Chief Judge.
THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the appeal by Appellant Valley Bank and Trust Co. ("Valley Bank") from an order issued by the Bankruptcy Court made in Adversary Proceeding number 10-01130-ABC. This appeal arises from the Bankruptcy Court's September 30, 2010 Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment and Denying Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgement, which was amended on October 19, 2011 ("Order"). In the Order, the Bankruptcy Court concluded that Valley Bank does not have a security interest in Tracy Broadcasting Corporation's ("Debtor" or "Tracy Broadcasting") Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") broadcast license ("License") or any proceeds derived from a further transfer of the License pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 552(a).
Valley Bank asserts that the Bankruptcy Court's Order errs in four major respects: (1) Debtor's private right to accept compensation for a transfer of its broadcast License is a "general intangible" in which Valley Bank perfected a security interest, thus, § 552(a) is no bar to enforcing Valley Bank's security interest if the Trustee sells the License postpetition; (2) the Bankruptcy Court's Order confuses § 552(a) with § 552(b); (3) the Bankruptcy Court's Order errs in assuming the FCC's clear approval of security interests taken in a broadcast licensee's private right to accept compensation for the transfer of its broadcast
For the reasons stated below, I am not persuaded by Valley Bank's arguments and affirm the Order of the Bankruptcy Court.
The relevant material facts are undisputed. Debtor Tracy Broadcasting Corporation is a Nebraska Corporation that operated a radio station, known as KMOR 92.9 FM, or KOLT ("KOLT"), at Warren AFB in Wyoming. Debtor operated KOLT under a FCC broadcast License.
Prior to filing its bankruptcy case, on or about May 5, 2008, Debtor obtained a loan from Valley Bank in the principal amount of $1,556,100.00 (the "Loan"). In connection with the Loan, Debtor executed a Promissory Note (the "Note") dated May 5, 2009. The Note was secured by a Commercial Security Agreement (the "Security Agreement"), executed by the Debtor and dated December 13, 2007. Under the Security Agreement, Valley Bank was granted a security interest in, among other things, the Debtor's "general intangibles" and proceeds thereof.
Valley Bank filed UCC-1 Financing Statements (the "Financing Statements") regarding the security interest granted to Valley Bank under the Security Agreement with the Secretaries of State for Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The Financing Statements listed the Debtor's "general intangibles" and proceeds, among other property, as Valley Bank's collateral.
On January 23, 2009, Spectrum Scan, LLC ("Spectrum") obtained a judgment against the Debtor in the original principal sum of $1,400,000. On August 19, 2009, Debtor filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. At the time the Chapter 11 petition was filed, the Debtor had no pending agreement for sale or transfer of the License. On February 16, 2010, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order appointing the Trustee as Chapter 11 trustee of the Debtor's estate.
Valley Bank filed a secured claim in the underlying bankruptcy case in the amount of $910,000. Spectrum, an unsecured creditor in Debtor's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, commenced the subject adversary proceeding for a determination of the extent of Valley Bank's security interest.
The parties agree that Valley Bank has no valid security interest in the Debtor's FCC License itself. Thus, in its Order, the Bankruptcy Court determined that the issue at hand is whether Valley Bank's security interest extends to "proceeds" received by the Trustee upon a future transfer of the Debtor's interest in the FCC License, where there was no contract for transfer of the License in existence at the time the Chapter 11 petition was filed. (Bankruptcy Court's Order at 2, Bankruptcy Case No. 10-01130 ECF No. 44.) In its Order, the Bankruptcy Court concluded that 11 U.S.C. § 552(a) of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits Valley Bank's security interest from encumbering any value that the estate may receive from any future transfer of the License. (Bankruptcy Court's Order at 8.) Valley Bank now appeals the Bankruptcy Court's ruling.
On appeal, I may affirm, modify, or reverse the Bankruptcy Court's order, or remand with instructions for further proceedings.
In the pending appeal, Valley Bank argues that the Bankruptcy Court committed reversible error when it ruled that 11 U.S.C. § 552(a) bars enforcement of Valley Bank's security interest in Debtor's private right to accept compensation for the transfer of its License. Essentially, Valley Bank asserts that the Debtor's right to petition for FCC approval and sell its License to a third party "existed prior" to the filing of the bankruptcy petition. (Opening Br. at 11-13.) Thus, § 552(a) does not apply because it "only avoids liens on property the debtor acquired after filing for bankruptcy protection." (Opening Br. at 12.)
Initially, I turn to 11 U.S.C. § 552(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. Section 552(a) provides:
See United Sav. Ass'n of Texas v. Timbers of Inwood Forest Assocs., Ltd., 484 U.S. 365, 374, 108 S.Ct. 626, 98 L.Ed.2d 740 (1988) (interpreting § 552(a) to mean that "a prepetition security interest does not reach property acquired by the estate or debtor postpetition."); see also 5 Collier on Bankruptcy ¶ 552.01 (Alan N. Resnick & Henry J. Sommer eds., 16th ed.). "Section 552(b) sets forth an exception, allowing postpetition proceeds, product, offspring, rents, or profits of the collateral to be covered only if the security agreement expressly provides for an interest in such property, and the interest has been perfected under applicable nonbankruptcy law." Timbers, 484 U.S. at 374, 108 S.Ct. 626 (internal quotation marks omitted). Thus, pursuant to this statute, a prepetition secured lender has a lien on postpetition proceeds generated by the sale of property only if the lender also had a prepetition lien on the property that was sold. Id.
In its Order, the Bankruptcy Court noted the differing approaches taken by various courts in addressing this issue:
(Bankruptcy Court's Order at 7.) In a detailed and thorough analysis, the Bankruptcy Court "presumed [that] it is possible to grant a security interest in the ability to receive value upon an FCC-approved sale of a broadcast license." (Bankruptcy Court's Order at 7.) Thus, it found the approach set forth in In re Tak unhelpful as applied to this case. Instead, the Bankruptcy Court determined that the Debtor's ability to receive value from an FCC-approved sale of its License was "contingent both on the existence of an agreement to transfer the License and upon the FCC's approval of that transfer." (Bankruptcy Court's Order at 7.) Here, given that "there was in fact no agreement of any kind for transfer of the License prior to the filing of the" bankruptcy petition, Debtor's ability to receive value is "property" acquired after the commencement of the bankruptcy case. Therefore, the Bankruptcy Court determined that § 552(a) prevents Valley Bank's security from extending to any such value received by the Debtor as a result of any eventual sale of the License post-petition. (Bankruptcy Court's Order at 7-8.)
In its Order, the Bankruptcy Count went on to explain that it disagrees with the analysis of the Media Properties case.
The Debtor's right to receive value for a transfer of its License did not exist
(Bankruptcy Court's Order at 8.)
Turning to my analysis, I find that the Bankruptcy Court's conclusions are well-supported by both the Bankruptcy Code and decisions from other circuits. Importantly, I could not find any controlling Tenth Circuit precedent on this issue, thus, I find it appropriate that the Bankruptcy Court looked to other circuits for guidance. I further note that Valley Bank's arguments rely solely on non-controlling authority from other circuits. After carefully reviewing the relevant documents, I find that Valley Bank's reliance on contrary interpretations of this issue (and related issues) from other jurisdictions to be unavailing.
Finally, I reject Valley Bank's remaining challenges that the Bankruptcy Court committed error by (1) stating that "there has been no definitive ruling from the FCC itself" regarding whether a licensee can pledge its purported "private right" and (2) discussing, but not rejecting, the reasoning and holding of In re Tak Communications, Inc.
As to Valley Bank's argument that the Bankruptcy Court erred in stating that
Second, Valley Bank argues that the Bankruptcy Court erred in "acknowledging but refusing to reject" the reasoning and holding of In re Tak Communications, Inc., 138 B.R. 568, 577 (W.D.Wis. 1992). (Opening Br. at 29.) Similar to the previous challenge, I find that the Bankruptcy Court's Order is not based on In re Tak, thus, I reject Valley Bank's contentions. After reviewing the numerous cases cited by Valley Bank with respect to this issue, I find that they are neither controlling on this Court nor applicable to the facts of this bankruptcy case. Instead the cases concern specific factual scenarios that are not present here. (See numerous cases cited in Opening Brief at 29-35.) Again, since the Bankruptcy Court did not base its Order on In re Tak and since the FCC never approved a sale of Debtor's FCC License to Valley Bank, I reject Valley Bank's argument that the Bankruptcy Court erred with respect to this issue.
Accordingly, I find that there is no evidence in the record of any error with respect to the Bankruptcy Court's holding that § 552(a) of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits Valley Bank's security interest from encumbering any value that the estate may receive from any future transfer of the Debtor's FCC License.
Based on the foregoing, it is
ORDERED that Valley Bank's appeal of the Bankruptcy Court's September 30, 2010 Order, which was amended on October 19, 2011, holding that Valley Bank does not have a security interest in Debtor's License or any proceeds derived from a future transfer of the License is without merit. Accordingly, the Bankruptcy Court's September 30, 2010 Order, amended on October 19, 2011, is