Smith Eyes New Broadcast-TV Standard; Walden Wants FCC Reform

Carriers and broadcasters showed there are areas they can cooperate on, when those and other industries joined earlier this year to oppose the FCC’s band plan for separating TV channels from wireless licensees after the incentive auction of TV-station frequencies, said House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. That sort of cooperation shows the two sides can work together so the auction gets the highest proceeds possible, he said. The commission needs to stick to last year’s Spectrum Act requirement that it not force full-power TV stations off the air, said Walden. A broadcaster’s decision whether to sell or share spectrum “is strictly voluntary,” he said. “Voluntary means voluntary.” Walden said he'll ensure the agency “makes all reasonable efforts to maintain coverage areas."

Smith, Walden and others said they hope to see more deals for carriers to use FM chips in smartphones, along the lines of what Sprint Nextel and Emmis agreed to a few months ago (CD Jan 10 p10) . That deal is “the marketplace at work, with companies experimenting to offer their customers more choices,” said Walden. “I hope wireless providers and broadcasters negotiate more of these mutually beneficial agreements.” Smith said he sees future radios in smartphones with “over-the-air and online content for a rich, hybrid radio experience that provides interactive enhancements” and “new revenue opportunities."

CTIA continues to believe “the market will -- and should -- dictate device design and functionality” on FM chips, which are included in smartphones from “a number of” manufacturers and carriers, responded Jot Carpenter, vice president-government affairs, via email. “What NAB is asking for is already being delivered. But if what NAB wants is more FM-enabled devices, then their plan should be simple: Convince consumers that’s what they want. NAB’s challenge isn’t with CTIA or our members, it’s with consumers."

TV’s future “lies in our willingness to embrace new platforms,” said Smith (http://bit.ly/16JnbPE), as carriers are “investing a lot of money” to offer streaming video to their subscribers. “We must seize the opportunities that new technology platforms present to broadcasters. Otherwise, we are essentially handing our competitors the keys to our future.” That means examining broadcast “architecture” and making sure it “allows us the flexibility to develop new tools,” said Smith. Microtargeted ads are worth a look, “to compete in a field crowded with competitors who are doing these things,” he said. “Television broadcasting should seriously consider the challenges and opportunities of moving to a new standard, allowing stations the flexibility they need to better serve their viewers in a mobile world and find new revenue streams."

Walden made a pitch for the FCC to stick with the process reforms his FCC Reform Act would require, saying he'll reintroduce it this Congress. That the Media Bureau didn’t until March approve a 2003 petition Walden made when he was a broadcaster to license some translators points up that a wider array of commission issues need shot clocks, he said. Walden noted he sold the station that wanted the translators in 2007. After 10 years of waiting for the translator request to be approved, the FCC gave him 30 days “to perfect the petition,” he said. “If the FCC is able to set shot clocks for licensees, surely it can set shot clocks for itself.” Spokesmen for the agency had no comment.

The theme of the conference is “metamorphosis,” as “consumers are demanding content anytime, anywhere and on any device,” said Meredith Corp. Local Media Group President Paul Karpowicz, chairman of the association’s joint board. Walden joked that there’s an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing consumers such access to content. This year’s show will bring about 100,000 attendees to Las Vegas, said the city’s hometown Congresswoman Dina Titus, D-Nev.