Perhaps the most controversial part of the FCC’s recent National Broadband Plan (NBP) was the possible reclaiming of 120 MHz of spectrum presently being used by local over-the-air television stations. In the NBP the FCC suggests that some broadcasters may voluntarily turn back their spectrum, “hook up” with another local broadcaster and co-locate at that facility, and share in some of the auction proceeds that the auction of their old spectrum would generate. The FCC hopes that enough broadcasters voluntarily participate in this program to lead to this spectrum being used for broadband deployment.

Broadcasters are concerned about this proposal for fear that it will not just be voluntary participation. They expect that if the FCC does not get enough volunteers it will later take possession of this spectrum and force broadcasters to share facilities. This concern as well as other issues related to this part of the NBP was center stage during an extremely lively debate at the 6th Annual Broadcast Policy Summit, with David Donovan of the Association of Maximum Service Television representing the broadcast industry and Christopher Guttman-McCabe of CTIA-The Wireless Association representing the other side.

One of the central points that Mr. McCabe made during the debate was whether the use of the spectrum by local television stations was efficient. He cited the fact that many channels go unused in many markets unlike the wireless system where every part of the spectrum is reused in all markets. Mr. Donovan did not disagree with the fact that channels in markets are not allocated but pointed out that is necessary due to the interference that would be caused if all channels in all broadcast markets are used. The system of broadcasting in the U.S. was established for many local facilities to broadcast over wide areas, hence the need for unused channels to minimize interference.

The problem with Mr. McCabe’s argument is that he is just looking at the technical use of the spectrum and concluding that the broadcast use is not efficient. What he is overlooking is the economic and public good aspects of the present system of broadcasting. By having a widely distributed (and interference free) system of broadcasting with over 1,600 local television stations, the U.S. has an incredibly efficient system of providing audiences for local advertisers, local news and information for local audiences, and a emergency alerting system for first responders, among other benefits. These benefits are often overlooked when just examining the use of MHz in a particular band of the spectrum in a particular geographic area.

This debate will undoubtedly continue. As was mentioned several times during this conference, the demand for additional spectrum continues to grow. And, while there are steps that companies can do to better utilize their existing spectrum, there will be need for more spectrum. Given the spectrum that is presently being used by local television stations, and its physical qualities, that spectrum will always be discussed as possibly be reallocated. Yet, before that occurs, a full understanding of the present uses and its benefits needs to be considered.

Tags: FCC, National Broadband Plan, NBP, spectrum, television

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