FCC Mulls Retrieving Airwaves from TV Broadcasters

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posted Oct 27, 2009, 8:15 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

In order to combat what Chairman Julius Genachowski calls a "looming spectrum gap," the Federal Communications Commission recently said it is giving thought to taking back some airwaves from television broadcasters and then auctioning the airwaves off to wireless service providers. The FCC said that it is considering all possible options to make sure enough spectrum is available for the nation's growing demand for wireless services. The Consumer Electronics Association noted in a study that the federal government stands to make up to $62 billion were it to auction of TV airwaves. The National Association of Broadcasters and its members indicated that this idea doesn't sit well with them. The FCC wouldn't take back all the airwaves, but some of the spectrum set aside for digital TV broadcasts. The FCC didn't say how much spectrum it might take back.

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