At Fisher Communication’s Q3 conference call, President/CEO Colleen B. Brown divulged that she recently had an opportunity to speak with the Obama administration about the spectrum issue. Her message – with digital in its infancy and new services in development, television stations all need their full slice.
She asked that the administration to direct the FCC to look elsewhere for places to locate wireless broadband and other potential services. She explained that television stations need the flexibility to fully develop new services, including the provision of mobile service.
Brown said officials were attentive and that they understood her message.
She noted that the study on spectrum diversion looked at who would get the spectrum, but didn’t spend much time on who would lose it, and how it would affect the audience.
RBR-TVBR observation: As we’ve noted before, we suspect a major spectrum reallocation like this could not possibly be accomplished with any kind of speed. Even if it developed an enormous head of steam within the halls of the FCC, the court system will be waiting for it, and once it goes there it could be tied up for years.
But this is an issue that will probably now dog broadcasters for years, so broadcasters had best be prepared for a long, tedious slog to keep the would-be spectrum grabbers at bay.
