Broadcasters at MMTC Summit Caution about Spectrum Reallocation
While getting more spectrum for mobile broadband is important, reallocating broadcast spectrum could harm the whole industry, broadcasters said on a Minority Media & Telecom Council Summit panel. Stations’ sharing a channel, as proposed, could produce technical issues and loss of service, said James Winston, executive director of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, said late Thursday. There are only a few minority TV stations, so the FCC needs to study the risks carefully, he said. “The issue can’t be handled in a hurry."
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But it’s critical to get to work adding spectrum as soon as possible, since freeing up spectrum and putting it to use takes a long time, said CTIA President Steve Largent. The last two auctions were more than 10 years in the making, he said, adding that his group has made freeing up spectrum a top priority. Speed is needed, said President Dean Garfield of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC). The council has urged the Congress to act quickly on freeing up spectrum, he said.
The FCC needs to be aware of unintended consequences, said Jane Mago, NAB executive vice president. The agency needs to make sure it’s not creating problems by rushing in, she said. But the NAB supports a truly voluntary auction mechanism, she said. “Voluntary is absolutely essential.” She emphasized the importance of ensuring spectrum efficiency and using alternative technology. While moving forward quickly is needed, regulators should be deliberate and should make sure that any auction program is well structured, Garfield said.
The ITIC generally supports the FCC’s net neutrality decision, Garfield said. But it’s time to move on to other priorities and let the market make the decisions, he said. Largent again said wireless is different from other technologies. USTelecom praised an Obama administration review of federal regulations aimed at changing or dropping those no longer needed. Policies that encourage investment in fixed and wireless infrastructure are needed to create the most powerful converged network, President Walter McCormick said. A consistent regulatory framework is critical, said James Assey, NCTA executive vice president.
Concerning domination of spectrum auctions by large carriers, Largent said the problem is that spectrum has become very expensive. Wireless is capital-intensive, said Ari Fitzgerald of Hogan & Hartson. It’s hard to improve access to spectrum when the price is high, he said. A solution is pushing diversity in the ownership of content and applications, he said.