FCC Broadband Initiative Staffers Eye Other Uses for Spectrum
FCC evaluation of how to best use TV and other spectrum for broadband seems mainly centered so far around work by staffers of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative (OBI), according to multiple commission and industry officials. A public notice from the broadband initiative on the subject is a possible way for the OBI staffers to formally tee up the issue for consideration, they said. But a commission spokesman said there are many ways for the regulator to address the issue.
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Commissioners don’t appear to be formally participating in the process yet -- with no item on circulation for their approval -- and any public notice from the OBI would not likely get a vote, said FCC and industry officials. That’s in keeping with past notices related to the National Broadband Plan. Any forthcoming notice could raise spectrum issues beyond that used for broadcasting, said a telecom lawyer. Some long-time Media Bureau staffers don’t appear to be working on a particular item to consider whether TV and other frequencies should be repurposed for wireless and other uses, agency and industry said. But the FCC spokesman said all bureaus are involved in the process.
“We're discussing a variety of options for how to move … an inquiry for freeing up spectrum forward, and those discussions include folks from all around the agency,” the spokesman said. “All the bureaus are involved.” A study paid for by the CEA that pegged the value of full-power TV spectrum at $48 billion and estimated costs to provide subscription TV to terrestrial-only homes (CD Oct 27 p1) OR (CED Oct 27 p5) is “something worth considering,” he added. “Whether or not that’s the right analysis” is “something we want to look at.”
“The discussions we've had with broadcasters to date would free up spectrum but would still allow broadcasters to broadcast over the air,” the spokesman added. There’s not a specific plan, he noted. “It’s become clear that to be successful in mobile broadband we are going to need a lot more spectrum in the near term, within a few years. Part of the broadband plan will have to be providing options for getting more spectrum. … We are just looking for ideas everywhere” and have spoken with the Defense Department, among others.
Some broadcasters and Media Bureau staffers are wary of any move to repurpose spectrum, said commission and industry officials. The issue of spectrum use is seen by some in the broadcasting industry as among the most important policy concerns. Consumers spent over $20 billion on set-top converter boxes, antennas and DTV sets to get digital signals, noted President David Donovan of the Association for Maximum Service Television. “The question is, after having made that substantial investment and based on statements from the government that you will get off-air high-definition TV, whether that will now be taken away from them,” he said. “In effect a classic bait and switch. That’s a concern.”