CCA Urges FCC to Stick With 39-Month Repack Timeline
The Competitive Carriers Association wants the FCC to stick to its 39-month post spectrum auction TV station repack plan.
Broadcasters have urged the FCC to be flexible about that deadline, arguing it may not be enough time for some stations to make the transition in what will be a complicated daisy chain of linked moves.
In comments to the FCC, CCA urged the FCC to prioritize clearing the spectrum for wireless, and on deadline.
Related: NAB—FCC's Phased Approach to Repack Is Reasonable
“Spectrum is the lifeblood of the wireless industry; I strongly urge the Commission to clear the 600 MHz band as efficiently as possible and to reject any requests to delay the Congressionally-based, FCC-established 39-month transition period,” said CCA President Steven Berry. “Many competitive carriers have dedicated significant resources to acquiring low-band spectrum in the auction and should have timely access to this valuable resource for the benefit of their businesses, the economy, and most especially, consumers.”
The FCC is all for getting the spectrum into wireless hands as quickly as possible, but also has broadcast viewers and their potential dislocation to factor in.
Related: Sen. Thune Asks FCC's Wheeler to Avoid Controversial Votes
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CCA said the FCC was on the right track with its post-auction transition plan, but says it should relax the auction "prohibited communications" rules to ease the transition.
Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.