Broadcasters, FCC In Spectrum Turf War
Politico,
May 15, 2012, 6:55 AM EDT
TV broadcasters look at the FCC’s recent drive to move them off frequencies and put their political advertising rates on the Internet and draw one conclusion: The FCC has it in for television. And broadcasters are fighting back by publicly airing that charge in the midst of the ongoing policy debate on freeing up airwaves for wireless broadband.
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cash for spectrum
FCC Gives TV Channel-Sharing Green Light
TVNewsCheck,
Apr 27, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT
By letting broadcasters share channels and not relinquish must-carry rights, the commission hopes to entice weak stations to double up (or even triple up) on channels, turn over spectrum to the FCC and participate in the voluntary "incentive" auction.
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Live from nab
FCC ‘Unlikely’ To Release Repacking Data
TVNewsCheck,
Apr 18, 2012, 12:53 PM EDT
That’s the word from FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake who says making public the algorithm from which they are derived is enough since the commission continues to “refine our approach to that as we move into the [spectrum auction] rulemaking.”
For all that’s going on at NAB 2012, click here. Full Story
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cash for spectrum
FCC Readies ‘Complicated Spectrum Auction’
Politico,
Apr 5, 2012, 7:24 AM EDT
Congress granted FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's wish for the power to hold an airwaves auction that will pay broadcasters to abandon some of their frequencies, but turning that wish into reality is going to be a challenge. The agency is trying to figure out how to design and conduct the complex auctions, which for the first time will pay people to give up valuable airwaves.
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cash for spectrum
Alliance Wants Spectrum Model Released
TVBR,
Apr 5, 2012, 6:38 AM EDT
The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance is calling for the immediate release of the FCC's AOM (Allotment Optimization Model) that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said would be released upon authorization to conduct spectrum auctions. That authorization came in the recently signed "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act."
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FCC Names Auction Task Force Chief
TVNewsCheck,
Mar 21, 2012, 1:32 PM EDT
Ruth Milkman, an aide to FCC Chairman Julius genachowski, is tapped to oversee six others on the new Incentive Auction Task Force.
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Executive Session with john hane
Here's What’s Next For The Spectrum Auction
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 27, 2012, 8:19 AM EST
Washington communications attorney John Hane walks us through how the just-authorized broadcast TV spectrum auction may play out. He explains what the FCC has to do, how it may proceed, the vagaries of the whole process and points out what broadcasters should be wary of.
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cash for spectrum
FCC Can Auction Spectrum; Who Will Sell?
Los Angeles Times,
Feb 20, 2012, 6:48 AM EST
When it comes to parting with their spectrum, many broadcasters have the same attitude Charlton Heston had when it came to his rifle: The government can pry it from their "cold dead hands." Even though the potential cut for broadcasters from the sale is $1.75 billion, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of excitement about the idea.
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Incentive Auction Headed For Obama's Desk
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 17, 2012, 3:43 PM EST
The Senate and House on Friday passed major payroll tax legislation that included approval for the FCC to auction off TV broadcast spectrum to help pay for
the cost of the extended unemployment benefits. Broadcasters who put their spectrum up for auction will share in the proceeds. However, for TV broadcasters who chose not to give up their spectrum, the measure contains safeguards against their suffering any loss of service.
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cash for spectrum
Payroll Bill With Auctions Heads To Obama
Associated Press,
Feb 17, 2012, 2:52 PM EST
The Senate approved the $143 billion measure on a bipartisan 60-36 vote minutes after the House approved it by a sweeping 293-132 vote. Obama is expected to sign it shortly after returning from a West Coast fundraising swing.
Of the $30 billion cost of the extended unemployment benefits, half would be paid for by government auctions of parts of the nation's broadcast airwaves. Full Story
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Jessell at Large
Broadcasters, Wireless Missed Joint Victory
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 17, 2012, 3:25 PM EST
With the passage of legislation authorizing incentive auctions of TV spectrum for wireless broadband use, broadcasters scored a victory in getting numerous safeguards included. Good job. But if the FCC, broadcasters and broadband proponents could have found a way to work together, they could all have been winners. They could have found a plan that produces the extra spectrum that's needed for broadband and improves rather than degrades broadcasting service.
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Broadcasters OK With Auction In Payroll Bill
Adweek,
Feb 17, 2012, 6:01 AM EST
Broadcasters worried early in the debate that they might be forced to give up spectrum. But, thanks to Rep. Greg Walden, a former broadcaster, they pretty much got everything they wanted. The bill takes care of broadcasters that choose to hold onto spectrum, making sure the FCC makes every effort to preserve TV station coverage areas and population reach. No station will be forced to move to VHF. To help broadcasters relocate, $1.75 billion is set aside in the bill to cover costs.
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RBC Capital Markets Report
Analyst: Selling Spectrum Smart For Some
Deadline.com,
Jan 17, 2012, 2:07 PM EST
RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank says it would be smart business for a lot of independently owned stations to go ahead and make a deal to sell their spectrum back to the FCC. He found several cases where stations recently were sold for less than the owner could have received by accepting just 25% of what wireless providers are paying for spectrum.
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cash for spectrum
AT&T: Congress Should Set Auction Rules
The Hill,
Jan 16, 2012, 7:53 AM EST
In a challenge to the FCC's authority, AT&T said on Friday that Congress, not the commission, should set the conditions for proposed auctions of broadcast television spectrum.
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ces 2012
FCC Chief Sees Incentive Auction Support
Reuters,
Jan 12, 2012, 6:06 AM EST
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said on Wednesday that he has received bipartisan support from a group of U.S. senators for so-called "incentive" auctions of spectrum without legislative restrictions.
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cash for spectrum
Senators Object To House Spectrum Bill
TVBR,
Jan 11, 2012, 6:28 AM EST
A bipartisan quartet of U.S. senators has fired off a letter to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that objects to certain elements in the House bill that would authorize TV spectrum incentive auctions, among other things. A major sticking point is the failure of the House to leave enough room for unlicensed devices.
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TVNewsCheck Focus on Washington
Levin: TV Spectrum Auctions Likely Doomed
TVNewsCheck,
Jan 5, 2012, 7:08 AM EST
The chief architect of the FCC's National Broadband Plan says the incentive auction of TV spectrum is unlikely to produce much spectrum for wireless broadband or money for the federal treasury. Why? NAB-backed provisions designed to protect broadcasters in the authorizing legislation will expose the auction to crippling litigation. "Congratulations to [NAB President] Gordon Smith," he says. "He did a great job. He did the job he was hired to do.... But let’s not kid ourselves: That’s not putting the United States first."
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cash for spectrum
No Hill Auction Action Until At Least 2012
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 17, 2011, 2:00 PM EST
On Saturday, the Senate adopted a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut that does not include any incentive spectrum auction provisions. And the House is expected to pass the same bill next week.
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Spectrum Auction Bill Advances In House
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 14, 2011, 6:43 AM EST
A Republican-backed payroll tax and jobs bill with TV spectrum auction language attached won House passage last night. But many hurdles still stand in the way of it becoming law. President Obama has said he would veto the legislation as it now stands. Still, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who has championed the reallocation of TV spectrum to wireless broadband, called the House vote a "major achievement."
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cash for spectrum
House Spectrum Bill Moves On, NAB Pleased
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 1, 2011, 3:46 PM EST
The Walden legislation that was approved by the House Communications Subcommittee today would make spectrum auction participation voluntary and also contains provisions sought by NAB guaranteeing that stations’ service areas will remain unaffected by the channel reassignments or "repacking" that will occur in connection with an auction.
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cash for spectrum
Supercommittee's Empty Spectrum Well
National Journal,
Nov 18, 2011, 12:43 PM EST
Lawmakers keep hoping that they can collect big bucks by auctioning off wireless spectrum. They can't.
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cash for spectrum
Should Spectrum Be Auctioned For Wireless?
Wall Street Journal,
Nov 15, 2011, 6:41 AM EST
Yes, says Jonathan Spalter, chairman of Mobile Future
, because demand for data services is soaring. No, says Barbara Cochran of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, because it will hurt TV stations.
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TVNewsCheck Focus on Washington
Super Committee New Focus Of Auction Push
TVNewsCheck,
Sep 21, 2011, 8:31 AM EDT
The FCC’s desire to auction TV spectrum to aid wireless broadband and generate revenue is now centered on a House-Senate effort to reduce the country’s budget deficit. Broadcasters, led by NAB, are concerned that the Super Committee version of the incentive auction will lack sufficient protections for those TV stations that choose not to participate in an auction. So, NAB and other broadcast lobbyists will be working hard over the next two months to make sure that whatever incentive auction provision emerges addresses the industry's concerns.
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Jessell at Large
A Plan For Spectrum Peace In Our Time
TVNewsCheck,
Aug 19, 2011, 2:54 PM EDT
The fight between the NAB and the FCC over spectrum auctions is ugly. The two groups should be working together for the common good — that is, enhancing broadcasting as a strong, free and universal service and, at the same time, freeing up some additional spectrum for wireless broadband. Let me offer a compromise, a new National Broadband/Broadcast Plan. The NAB and the FCC would persuade as many stations as possible to give up their channels with the promise of a big pay day. And then the FCC would use a portion of the freed up spectrum — let's say about a third — to improve broadcasting by giving the remaining stations more room to breathe.
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Comments (16)
Dingell Slams FCC For Non-Responsiveness
TVNewsCheck,
Aug 16, 2011, 3:17 PM EDT
The congressman is ticked at Julius Genachowski, saying the FCC chairman hasn’t given him a “substantive response” to his questions about the proposed spectrum auctions.
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cash for spectrum
In Spectrum Battles, Mom & Pop TV Loses
GigaOM,
Aug 5, 2011, 3:02 PM EDT
The FCC has been pushing for a while to get some 120 MHz of spectrum from the TV broadcasters and it sell it to the highest bidder. The NAB is opposing these plans and warning that it could lead to the closure of some 210 of its member's stations. But the impact could be even greater on the country's low-power TV stations, some LPTV operators fear. Close to 3,500 LPTVs would be affected by the spectrum changes, according to NAB estimates.
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cash for spectrum
NAB Runs Full Court Press On Auction Action
TVNewsCheck,
Jul 28, 2011, 3:55 PM EDT
Sen. Harry Reid’s debt reduction proposal would permit the FCC to conduct incentive auctions of TV spectrum and share the proceeds with broadcasters who give up spectrum, but doesn’t have safeguards that broadcasters want. NAB is lobbying against the plan, calling it “about as big a threat as there is in terms of the future of our business.”
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Cash for spectrum
NAB: FCC Broadband Plan Would Kill Stations
TVNewsCheck,
Jul 25, 2011, 1:16 PM EDT
A new analysis of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan by the National Association of Broadcasters finds that a minimum of 210 full-power TV stations could go dark and that 40% of all TV stations in U.S. could either leave the business or be assigned a new channel. It also says stations in the top 10 markets could be severely impacted, with "Northern Border" stations in Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland and Seattle threatened. NAB calls on the FCC to immediately make public its analyses of the plan's potential negative impact on viewers of free and local television.
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TVNewsCheck Focus on Washington
Just How Voluntary Is Senate Spectrum Bill?
TVNewsCheck,
Jun 29, 2011, 7:44 AM EDT
The Senate bill authorizing FCC TV spectrum auctions is raising red flags after an amendment was added that makes it unclear that such auctions be entirely voluntary for broadcasters. Another is that the FCC is not required to protect sufficiently those broadcasters that choose to hang on to their spectrum from increased interference and loss of service area.
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cash for spectrum
Congress May Fast-Track Spectrum Auctions
TVNewsCheck,
Jun 23, 2011, 8:29 AM EDT
It’s looking increasingly likely that Congress may authorize the FCC to hold incentive auctions as soon as this summer as part of debt-ceiling legislation now in the works. NAB says it is “working hard to ensure that spectrum-related provisions would include replication and interference protections for the vast majority of TV stations that will choose to remain in business.”
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cash for spectrum
Dingell Wants Spectrum Answers From FCC
TVNewsCheck,
Jun 20, 2011, 12:04 PM EDT
Rep. John Dingell is skeptical of the FCC's plan to auction off up to 120 MHz of the TV spectrum to wireless broadband providers and he has asked the commission for answers to a series of questions by June 27.
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cash for spectrum
Broadcasting Staying Strong In Mobile World
Roll Call,
Jun 20, 2011, 10:53 AM EDT
The FCC is trying to entice the broadcasters to surrender some of their spectrum voluntarily, by promising to give them a portion of the subsequent auction proceeds. But to do that, the FCC first needs an OK from Congress. NAB President (and former U.S. senator) Gordon Smith has helped broadcasters successfully tamp down any thought of requiring TV stations to give back their spectrum licenses. Broadcasters are shoring up support for their position and making doubly sure any spectrum legislation contains language that will protect their interests.
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cash for spectrum
Genachowski's Done With Spectrum Debate
B&C,
May 20, 2011, 2:50 PM EDT
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told a Telecommunications Industry Association audience in Dallas Thursday that there should be no more debate about whether there is a spectrum crunch that requires freeing up more spectrum.
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Senators Pushing Safety/Spectrum Bill
TVBR,
May 19, 2011, 6:11 AM EDT
It has been to goal of Congress to establish a national emergency interoperable communications system for first responders, ever since the events of 9/11 exposed the weaknesses in the system. A new bill will address that issue, and provide for the voluntary auction of spectrum by willing TV stations. NAB was conditionally pleased with the bill.
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cash for spectrum
Rockefeller: No Forced Spectrum Move
B&C,
May 13, 2011, 6:00 AM EDT
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D- W. Va.) says he wants to get an incentive auction/emergency communications network bill passed by June, and certainly before the 10th anniversary of 9/11. But he also says broadcasters will not be forced off spectrum in the process.
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cash for spectrum
NAB Ticked Off At CEA Spectrum 'Clock'
B&C,
May 6, 2011, 10:05 AM EDT
The Consumer Electronics Association, which has been cranking up its campaign for broadcast spectrum via its blog and new studies, has created a "spectrum crunch clock" that claims to tally the "lost opportunity costs to the U.S. economy and consumers with every minute we delay responsibly managing our nation's spectrum resources." NAB calls it more of a crock than a clock.
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cash for spectrum
CBS Plans To Keep Its Stations' Spectrum
B&C,
Apr 29, 2011, 2:48 PM EDT
In its comments on the FCC's proposals on channel-sharing, spectrum "repacking" and improving VHF transmissions, CBS has taken a slightly less adversarial tone than the NAB, group owners representing hundreds of TV stations and state broadcast associations. And since it says it is not going to be selling its spectrum, or planning to share it with other stations, CBS put an emphasis on the FCC making sure those left behind are still in control of their own destiny.
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analysis by David Lieberman
Who Will Blink First Over TV Spectrum?
Deadline.com,
Apr 19, 2011, 8:29 AM EDT
I'm of the opinion that there isn't that big a divide between the FCC and NAB's positions. And I think all the posturing and threats will end as soon as Genachowski and the NAB can agree on how much stations owners should receive for giving up their claim on what used to be thought of as the public's property.
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cash for spectrum
Full Court Press On TV Spectrum Hits The Hill
TVBR,
Apr 14, 2011, 6:05 AM EDT
CEA and CTIA are composing letters, commissioning surveys and writing white papers. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is giving speeches at NAB 2011 in Las Vegas. And various individuals are testifying on Capitol Hill. They all have the same objective — the capture of 120 MHz worth of television spectrum to repurpose for wireless broadband. On the Hill, WGAL Lancaster, Pa., Chief Engineer Bob Good mounted a defense.
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Nab 2011
Frank: FCC Auction Plan Like ‘Leno In Prime’
TVNewsCheck,
Apr 12, 2011, 6:17 AM EDT
As part of an NAB Show panel on the FCC’s spectrum plans, Post-Newsweek President Alan Frank says the proposal to auction spectrum to aid broadband is not so much how such a voluntary auction will affect the minority of broadcasters who choose to participate in it, but rather how it will affect the majority who choose not to. And then there’s that word “voluntary.” “I had the honor of serving in the Army and I understand voluntary,” Frank said. Responding was FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, who promised that it was not the FCC’s intention to degrade TV service in any way.
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cash for spectrum
Economists Plug Auctions For White House
Television Broadcast,
Apr 6, 2011, 2:41 PM EDT
The Obama Administration's campaign to reassign broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband is now focused on securing congressional authorization for incentive auctions. The White House today hosted an summit on the issue, inviting a bevy of economists, FCC Chief Julius Genachowski and no broadcasters.
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cash for spectrum
FCC To Move On Auctions 'Promptly'
CommLawBlog,
Apr 1, 2011, 7:39 AM EDT
Proving yet again that where there’s a will, there’s a way, the FCC has announced that it is proceeding with incentive auctions “promptly”. This is noteworthy, of course, because Congress still hasn’t gotten around to authorizing the sharing of auction proceeds — and the conventional wisdom has been that, without such authority, incentive auctions were a non-starter.
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Jessell at Large
NAB Needs To Get Spectrum Act Together
TVNewsCheck,
Mar 11, 2011, 1:25 PM EST
The FCC plan to reclaim a big block of broadcast spectrum is the most critical issue facing broadcasters in the past three decades. So it's perplexing that they chose this time to shut down MSTV, their longtime spectrum policy lobby, and to diss NAB's top tech exec. Those moves raise the stakes in NAB's hiring of a new EVP of technology. The right person keeps broadcasting in the game. The wrong person puts it on the same grim road as newspapers.
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cash for spectrum
Barrett: U.S. Shouldn't Scrap Local TV
B&C,
Mar 11, 2011, 5:57 AM EST
A pair of broadcast executives made a pitch in Washington Thursday night for the value of local broadcasting in the face of government calls for them to give up spectrum for wireless broadband. "The work that local stations do in this country is extraordinary and should not be taken for granted," said David Barrett, president of Hearst TV, which owns 29 TV stations. In addition, Raycom News VP Susana Schuler said broadcasters are best positioned to feed growing news appetite.
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cash for spectrum
Warner, Wicker Introduce Spectrum Bill
B&C,
Mar 10, 2011, 5:59 AM EST
Sens. Mark R. Warner and Roger Wicker Wednesday introduced a bill that would require federal agencies to provide more information on spectrum relocation projects at the outset, and would create a technical review panel to help develop relocation plans and provide for spectrum sharing during a transition.
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spectrum reallocation
Small Broadcasters Fight Spectrum Grab
TVBR,
Mar 9, 2011, 6:25 AM EST
A coalition of television station operators, including operators of religious and low-power stations, is preparing to stand firm to protect spectrum in the face of the FCC’s desire to repurpose parts of the television band for wireless broadband delivery.
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cash for spectrum
House Said To Put Off Spectrum Hearing
B&C,
Mar 4, 2011, 2:55 PM EST
The House Communications & Technology Subcommittee is not expected to hold a planned hearing on the FCC-administration's spectrum reclamation plans next week, according to sources inside and outside the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
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cash for spectrum
Smith on Spectrum: We Won't Be Rolled
B&C,
Mar 4, 2011, 5:53 AM EST
The NAB president says broadcasters are willing to volunteer spectrum, but won't be put in a degraded position on the TV band.
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cash for spectrum
Kerry-Snowe Introduce Incentive Auction Bill
B&C,
Mar 3, 2011, 5:51 AM EST
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Communications Subcommittee, and Rep. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced a bill that would authorize incentive auctions and require the FCC and NTIA to conduct a spectrum inventory. It would allow the FCC to determine how much to compensate broadcasters for giving up spectrum, but would also try to prevent speculation in those licenses.
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TVNewsCheck FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Auction Talk Draws TV Spectrum Speculators
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 23, 2011, 8:14 AM EST
The likelihood of federal spectrum auctions is having a two-pronged effect: leading some buyers to look for low-priced stations to buy in the hopes of cashing out from the auction proceeds; and causing some struggling smaller-market and public stations that could use money now to put themselves on the block.
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cash for spectrum
Spectrum Holdouts Could Be Charged Fees
Broadcast Engineering,
Feb 21, 2011, 9:40 AM EST
Buried in President Obama’s 2012 budget is an item that could alter the way people look at the term “voluntary,” at least when it comes to the proposed spectrum auctions for broadcast spectrum. “To promote efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum, the administration proposes to provide the FCC with new authority to use other economic mechanisms, such as fees, as a spectrum management tool,” the budget says. “FCC would be authorized to set user fees on unauctioned spectrum licenses and could be used in instances where incentive auctions are not appropriate.”
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Cash For Spectrum
Dingell Likens FCC Spectrum Plan To 'Holdup'
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 18, 2011, 3:15 PM EST
The congressman grills FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and isn't satisfied with the chairman's answers on just how voluntary FCC's proposed spectrum auction plan for broadcasters is. "I have dark suspicions," he says.
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cash for spectrum
CTIA, CEA: Spectrum Auction To Yield $33B
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 16, 2011, 2:46 PM EST
The CTIA-The Wireless Association and Consumer Electronics Association submitted a white paper to the FCC that says the commission's proposed TV spectrum auction will help balance the federal budget by contributing more than $33 billion.
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cash for spectrum
FCC Webinars To Tout Spectrum Reallocating
CommLawBlog,
Feb 14, 2011, 3:21 PM EST
As far as the commission’s concerned, it’s apparently all systems go and full speed ahead with the effort to encourage TV broadcasters to relinquish their spectrum so that it can be used to further the National Broadband Plan. The latest evidence of this is the commission's plan to offer webinars for stations to explain, it says, "the financial opportunities offered by voluntary incentive auctions" and answer questions, including ones on "the need to repack the remaining television channels following the auction."
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cash for spectrum
President's High-Wireless Act Draws A Crowd
B&C,
Feb 10, 2011, 4:39 PM EST
Reaction poured in Thursday following delivery of President Obama's speech in Michigan promoting his national wireless plan, which aims to reclaim enough spectrum from broadcasters and others to get 4G wireless broadband service to 98% of America within five years. NAB won't oppose, but says broadcasters and viewers should be "held harmless."
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cash for spectrum
Obama To Unveil Wireless Internet Plan
Washington Post,
Feb 10, 2011, 2:47 PM EST
President Obama is to unveil a plan today to bring wireless high-speed Internet access to all Americans, a goal the administration says is key to the country's ability to compete globally in the years to come.
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Comments (1)
Comment Deadlines Set In Spectrum NPRM
CommLawBlog,
Feb 1, 2011, 3:04 PM EST
Back in early December the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) which kicked off the long-anticipated push to free up prime blocks of TV spectrum for broadband use. The NPRM has now been published in the
Federal Register, which sets the comment and reply comment deadlines. Comments are due by March 18 and reply comments by April 18.
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commentary by Harold Furchtgott-Roth
FCC Confuses Expropriation With Incentives
Forbes,
Jan 28, 2011, 11:00 AM EST
the former FCC commissioner says that "incentive auctions are little different from expropriation of property, far worse than the usual government condemnation of property under eminent domain." He goes on to say "There is a better way: Simply rezone broadcast spectrum to permit other uses, and let anyone buy and sell it."
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Jessell at large
FCC's Two-Faced Stance On Broadcast TV
TVNewsCheck,
Jan 21, 2011, 11:48 AM EST
While the FCC under Julius Genachowski is actively moving to take spectrum away from TV stations, which the chairman calls an “obstacle” to America’s broadband future, its conditions placed on the Comcast-NBCU deal indicate just the opposite. The commission has decreed that NBC and Telemundo stations must produce an additional 1,000 hours of “original, local news and information programming” as groups. To me that shows that the FCC is implicitly recognizing the continued importance of broadcasting in the media mix.
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cash for spectrum
Broadcasters Resist Plan To Cede Airwaves
Washington Post,
Jan 20, 2011, 6:34 AM EST
Many broadcasters are already worried about declining viewers, and now they say the government wants to take away something more: the airwaves themselves.
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Comments (7)
FLO Spectrum Sale Hints At UHF Value
TV Technology,
Dec 23, 2010, 3:13 PM EST
One of the precepts of the FCC's plan to reallocate up to half the usable broadcast TV spectrum for broadband is that the market value of the spectrum would be much greater if it's used for broadband rather than for broadcasting. If the price AT&T is paying for Qualcomm's prime FLO spectrum is any indication, the FCC may have a hard time convincing broadcasters to voluntarily give up their spectrum. Link
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Spectrum Acquisition A Top Priority For CEA
Reuters,
Dec 15, 2010, 6:07 AM EST
Pushing for U.S. regulatory and congressional action to free up airwaves to handle the burgeoning use of wireless devices will be the top policy initiative of the consumer electronics industry in 2011, the head of the
Consumer Electronics Association said on Tuesday.
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Jessell at large
Time For FCC To Divulge TV Repacking Plan
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 3, 2010, 3:27 PM EST
While the FCC hopes to take back some of TV's valuable space by tempting broadcasters to voluntarily put it up for auction, it's also threatening to get some by repacking the band. But what's most galling is that it still hasn't released its repacking models that spell out exactly what it wants to do. They've been "forthcoming" since March.
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tech spotlight
FCC Plan Makes VHF A Very High Priority
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 2, 2010, 12:01 PM EST
A critical part of the commission's push to find more spectrum for wireless broadband is to improve the quality of TV signals in the VHF band that were weakened in the digital transition. Among its suggestions are boosting transmission power and setting reception standards for home antennas. Broadcasters are skeptical of the plan's viability and are worried that they may be forced to move from the UHF band to VHF, requiring expensive equipment while potentially lessening their coverage and alienating their viewers.
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Comments (25)
updated — cash for spectrum
FCC Begins TV Spectrum Revamp
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 30, 2010, 11:28 AM EST
By a 5-0 vote, the commission sets in motion a three-part rulemaking looking to auction some TV spectrum, set up the sharing of a single 6 MHz channel by two or more stations and increase power for VHF stations, thereby freeing up UHF space for wireless broadband.
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Comments (33)
FCC Mulls Broadcast Airwaves For Wireless
Reuters,
Nov 30, 2010, 6:48 AM EST
The FCC today will vote on proposals to free up more airwaves for commercial wireless use in a meeting that could be overshadowed if plans to act on contentious Internet traffic rules are circulated. For more on the impact on television stations,
click here.
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TVNewsCheck FOCUS ON WASHINGTON
FCC Begins Plan To Take Back TV Spectrum
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 24, 2010, 8:40 AM EST
Next Tuesday, Nov. 30, the FCC will launch its rulemaking aimed at freeing up broadcast spectrum through repacking of the band and channel sharing. It will look for ways to improve the VHF band, suggesting that the FCC intends to drive more stations into the band as part of the repacking scheme.
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Genachowski: TV Is 'Obstacle' To Broadband
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 16, 2010, 12:37 PM EST
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski tells the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners that the current broadcast spectrum allocations "still reflect the previous era. This presents a real obstacle as we try to ensure a spectrum infrastructure for the new world of mobile broadband.” To get things moving, he said, the FCC will consider at its Nov. 30 meeting launching a proceeding that would lift technical restrictions so broadcast spectrum can be used for broadband, and that would allow channel sharing among broadcasters.
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NTIA Wants To Start Spectrum Move In 2013
B&C,
Nov 15, 2010, 2:58 PM EST
A new timetable says the FCC will need to identify the spectrum it's reclaiming for wireless broadband by mid-2011 and start moving broadcasters to new locations by 2Q 2013.
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Jessell at Large
Do We Really Need A 2nd Broadcast System?
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 12, 2010, 10:49 AM EST
Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said this week that the carrier now believes that the best way of handling some of the expected demand for video on its new super-fast broadband network is broadcasting — that is, pumping one signal to many users simultaneously rather than millions of signals one at a time. If Verizon Wireless is thinking this way, my bet is that some of its competitor and would-be competitors are too. There's an obvious alternative: A thousand TV stations pumping video to mobile devices should satisfy much of the demand for on-the-go video and relieve broadband networks of what may be an uneconomical chore.
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cash for spectrum
Qualcomm CEO: TV Will Give Up Spectrum
B&C,
Nov 12, 2010, 5:51 AM EST
Paul Jacobs wonders whether broadcasters will "want to waste the electricity to run the towers" if they can get guaranteed carriage of their content on other platforms.
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