The FCC runs the risk of “short changing” first responders...
The FCC runs the risk of “short changing” first responders if the commission decides to give away much of the spectrum that is cleared in connection with the forthcoming broadcast incentive auctions, said a House Communications Subcommittee majority memo published…
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Monday (http://xrl.us/bn5pww). And if the commission does so it would violate and squander the broadcast incentive auction provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, the memo said. The subcommittee has scheduled a hearing with all five FCC commissioners for Wednesday at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The FCC’s proposal would provide unlicensed spectrum in a handful of areas -- TV white spaces in some markets, Channel 37, except for in protected areas of the country, the guard bands separating broadcasters from mobile broadband and the spectrum used by wireless microphones. But the Republican commissioners, Robert McDowell and Ajit Pai, said they thought the commission’s September notice of proposed rulemaking allocates too much spectrum to be set aside for unlicensed use (CD Oct 1 p1). The agency cannot afford to give away spectrum if it expects to pay for the public safety network, state planning, research and development and next-generation 911, the Republican memo said. “In the current fiscal climate the FCC should also be striving to raise additional revenue to offset potential budget cuts or reduce the deficit,” it said. The subcommittee majority argued against “artificially increasing” the size of guard bands to accommodate unlicensed use because it is unnecessary and would “reduce revenues and do less to meet broadband demand.” The memo also urged the commission against “picking winners and losers” by excluding parties from the auction, something which the majority said would be a violation of the Communications Act, could hinder broadband objectives and reduce auction proceeds, it said. CALinnovates, a West Coast technology advocacy group, urged the committee to promote actions that will bring more wireless spectrum to the commercial market as quickly as possible. The appeal came in a letter sent Monday to House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. “The government controls approximately 60 percent of the available spectrum, and that amount of control is simply too high in light of escalating consumer demand for commercial mobile services,” wrote the group’s executive director, Mike Montgomery.