NAB expects robust participation in the upcoming spectrum auction from its members and is working with Congress to ensure the repacking timeline is “realistic.”
That’s according to NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith, speaking to attendees of the Association of Public Television Stations Public Media Summit on the future of broadcasting.
He re-iterated that the 39-month timeline the commission envisions for the TV channel repack is not realistic.
Funding for the repack remains a big issue for NAB and its members as well. Congress set aside $1.75 billion to cover reasonable costs necessary to relocate to new channel assignments after the auction. The broadcast trade lobby “will insist that no broadcaster is forced to pay out of pocket for the privilege of staying in business after the repack,” he said.
NAB engineers believe the amount may be as much as $1 billion too low.
And while the TV industry will be smaller post-auction, broadcast television will be more relevant, according to Smith, noting that while competitors want television spectrum, competitors don’t want the same public service responsibilities that broadcasters have.
