FCC Reassures Public Broadcasters of Efforts Toward ‘Risk-Free’ Incentive Auction
The FCC will work to fill some of the holes that the commission has yet to answer on the dynamics of the upcoming broadcast spectrum incentive auctions, said Chairman Tom Wheeler. “We live in revolutionary times and it’s requiring revolutionary thinking,” he said Monday in a video at an Association of Public Television Stations event in Washington. “Part of that revolution is spectrum and how the analog assumptions of yesterday don’t fit with the digital realities of today.” Never before has there been such a “risk-free and rewarding opportunity for people to participate in the digital revolution,” he said. Wheeler said the channel-sharing trial with Los Angeles TV stations KLCS and KJLA is “really important in demonstrating the realities of moving from analog concepts to digital reality.”
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The FCC tried to put in place rules that continue status quo service and the important public service that commercial broadcasting and especially public broadcasting provide, Wheeler said. Those rules include continuing must-carry, he said. “There’s more information coming,” he said. “As we progress to the auction, we'll have increasing outreach to each of you individually.”
"Like many Americans, my critical information needs have been best met when I tuned into broadcast TV and radio programs,” said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who attended the event. “The broadcast TV industry should continue to be an important means of meeting the critical information needs of our nation’s communities,” she said. “As the commission proceeds along the path toward holding voluntary incentive auctions in 2015, I'm confident that industry will remain strong."
Public broadcast stations have options, including channel sharing with other public broadcasting stations or commercial stations, Clyburn said. “Although this may not be the right path for all, it is a step in the right direction to those stations to use innovative technology, stay on the air, reach their audiences and support the spectrum auctions."
The FCC is looking at ways to free resources in the 600 MHz band for new mobile broadband use, said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in a video address. For broadcasters, “the choice to participate by relinquishing some of your spectrum is voluntary,” she said. She urged public broadcasters to reach out to the commission with concerns.
Commissioner Ajit Pai credited public TV for delivering quality programming. Broadcasting “will continue to have an important role in this dynamic marketplace we're going to see in the future,” he said at the event. “There’s no competition necessarily between broadcast and broadband.” They are complementary, he said. Pai said he hopes the public interest will be served by a hybrid model “that allows people to get information through whatever means they can.” The FCC has a lot of work to do across a number of different areas, including areas that affect public broadcasters, he said.
Public broadcasters are rightfully concerned about upcoming auctions, said Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who also attended the event. “Even if you decide not to participate in the auction, you still are likely to be affected.” He urged public broadcasters to be vigilant and know their options. The FCC “should be in a position to have in-depth conversations with those broadcasters that are thinking about or potentially participating in our upcoming auction,” he added.
The FCC commissioned a study to look at potential costs that stations may incur during repacking, Clyburn said. The FCC will soon make that public, she said. It’s critical for the agency to have an open and transparent process, Pai said. That involves making sure that the repacking software is tested and re-tested in advance of the auction, he said: “We do not want to be surprised either during or after the auction with repacking software that goes awry.” Pai also urged broadcasters to have technical staff review software for bugs.