Add members of the Connecticut congressional delegation led
by Senators Joe Lieberman (Ind.) and Richard Blumenthal (D) to those asking the
FCC to protect over-the-air TV service as it prepares to release its notice of
proposed rulemaking Friday (Sept. 28) on spectrum incentive auctions.
In a letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, the
legislators point to the severe storms that hit the state last year that, in
some cases, put cable, Internet and cellphone service providers out of the
picture, while broadcasters remained up and providing critical emergency
response information.
While they say they strongly support freeing up spectrum for
wireless, they also urged the FCC to protect the public's ability to receive
free TV signals from stations that choose not to go out of business after the
auction.
"We believe that any plan that the commission adopts
should not negatively impact the ability of our constituents to receive free
local programming via free over the air service," they wrote.
That followed a similar letter from the New York delegation
late last week.
