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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commentary by Scott R. Flick
Death, Taxes & Voluntary Spectrum Auctions
CommLawCenter,
May 4, 2012, 9:53 AM EDT
If the FCC's thirst for broadcast spectrum has become so intense that it is willing to sacrifice fundamental fairness and "widows and orphans" to get it, all broadcasters need to be looking over their shoulders for the next regulatory lightning bolt encouraging them to also "volunteer" their spectrum. Like death and taxes, it appears the FCC is determined to make surrendering spectrum for the auction an unavoidable fact of life (and death).
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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
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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cash for spectrum
Spectrum Auction Included In Payroll Bill
Associated Press,
Feb 16, 2012, 5:57 AM EST
The compromise legislation would generate savings from government sales of parts of the broadcast spectrum to wireless companies. The spectrum auction is supposed to raise about $15 billion — even after $7 billion would be spent for a new communications network for emergency workers. A vote is expected Friday.
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Earnings call
Sinclair’s Smith Not Worried About Auctions
TVNewsCheck,
Feb 8, 2012, 12:38 PM EST
CEO David Smith says: “There’s a fundamental disagreement between the Democrats and Republicans” over spectrum auction legislation and he sees no action likely in three-to-five years. He and other execs at the company say this year is shaping up to be a record on-year for political revenues at Sinclair and they have great expectations for the role super PACs will play.
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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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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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commentary by Reed Hundt
Congress: If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It
TPM Cafe,
Dec 15, 2011, 2:31 PM EST
With an approval rating that is heading for sub-zero, Congress would do well to take this advice on many subjects. But the one topic I'm focusing on — as the former chairman of the FCC — is just this: please do not tell the FCC how to auction spectrum.
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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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Hill Poised To Take Spectrum Auction Action
TVNewsCheck,
Dec 12, 2011, 3:52 PM EST
The House is expected to vote tomorrow or Wednesday on a major GOP jobs package that has a spectrum auction proposal attached. House Republicans and Senate Democrats are trying to reconcile key elements of the spectrum provisions. But there is still a possibility that the spectrum provisions could be dropped.
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cash for spectrum
Auctions May Be In GOP Payroll Tax Bill
The Hill,
Dec 8, 2011, 9:43 AM EST
Republicans are considering including Rep. Greg Walden's (R-Ore.) spectrum bill in a proposal to extend the payroll tax holiday, Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) office confirmed.
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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
Rep. Walden Floats Voluntary Auction Bill
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 29, 2011, 4:38 PM EST
The legislation instructs the FCC to make "all reasonable efforts to preserve ... the coverage area and population served" of broadcasters who choose to hang on to their spectrum and not participate in the spectrum action. NAB praised the bill as a "a major step forward in ensuring that local television stations will continue to be able to serve our vast and diverse audiences.”
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Executive Session with Mark Aitken
A Win-Win Alternative To Spectrum Auctions
TVNewsCheck,
Nov 21, 2011, 8:12 AM EST
Sinclair’s Mark Aitken believes there’s a better option to the government’s spectrum auction proposal that would benefit both broadcasters and the U.S. Treasury. If broadcasters were granted permission to lease their excess spectrum to wireless carriers — to become the big bulk carriers of video and other bandwidth-intensive content — they could generate over $1 trillion in revenues over the next 15 years. In addition, under current law, they would be required to pay 5% of that revenue to the government, which Aiken says could be $62 billion for Treasury’s coffers.
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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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‘Supercommittee’ Showing Signs Of Life
Washington Post,
Oct 27, 2011, 6:20 AM EDT
With a Thanksgiving deadline fast approaching, a special debt-reduction committee is suddenly springing to life on Capitol Hill. Democrats made the first move in a closed-door meeting this week, pressing the bipartisan panel to pursue a far-reaching deal to slice $3 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade through an equal mix of spending cuts and new revenue. The proposal calls for significant cuts to health and retirement programs, as well as $1.3 trillion in new taxes.
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4g wORLD
Sprint Cool To New Spectrum Auctions
Network World,
Oct 25, 2011, 2:10 PM EDT
While Sprint and AT&T have been clashing for months over the latter's proposed merger with T-Mobile, they can surely still agree on the value of spectrum auctions, right? Well, not necessarily. While speaking during a panel discussion at 4G World Monday, Sprint Director of Government Affairs Trey Hanbury downplayed the need for new spectrum auctions that could help its rivals acquire even more prime spectrum for deploying LTE services.
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Spectrum Feud Lands At Supercommittee
Politico,
Oct 25, 2011, 7:07 AM EDT
The grudge match between TV broadcasters and the wireless sector is entering its most intense round yet, forcing supercommittee members to choose sides now that the deficit-reduction panel is eyeing auctions of the nation’s airwaves as a surefire way to raise billions.
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Forced TV Channel Sharing Option Proposed
Broadcast Engineering,
Sep 22, 2011, 2:48 PM EDT
A spokesman for the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a nonprofit public policy think tank based in Washington, has suggested that the FCC should require any broadcaster that does not give up spectrum for auction to share or co-locate channels.
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Low-Power TV's Take Fight To Washington
TVBR,
Sep 22, 2011, 6:28 AM EDT
The Coalition for Free TV and Broadband and the National Translator Association are teaming up and heading to Washington to meet with members of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. Their goal: to make sure Class A TVs, LPTVs and TV translators are not lost in the spectrum auction shuffle.
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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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