Broadcasters had reason to tune in to the FCC’s October Open Meeting, but as a rule, under the administration of Chairman Julius Genachowski, broadcast matters have suffered or benefitted (depending on your point of view) from neglect. And broadcasters will go right back to being neglected at the November meeting. Spectrum for medical use is on the agenda.
The meeting will be held on the very last day of the month – Wednesday 11/30/11.
There spectrum item involves radio and medical implants and involves the spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band. As we understand it, that piece of spectrum is located in between the top of the VHF band’s Channel 13 which uses 210-216 MHz, and the bottom of the UHF band’s Channel 14, which uses 470-476 MHz.
Here is how the FCC describes the plank:
“Additional Spectrum for Medical Radiocommunication Devices: The Commission will consider a Report and Order that allocates spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band and adopts service and technical rules to allow the use of new types of implanted medical devices that use functional electric stimulation to, among other things, restore sensation, mobility, and function to paralyzed limbs and organs.”
There will also be a report on the FCC’s recently-announced program to spur broadband adoption, particularly in breaking through economic and digital literacy barriers.
RBR-TVBR observation: As a general rule, FCC neglect is benign. Although sometimes the agenda can include adoption of items that broadcasters favor, or the elimination of items broadcasters would like to be rid of, more often than not a rulemaking just means more rules – they call them rulemakings for a reason.
