Chairman Walden asks FCC about fate of broadcasters in incentive auctions

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski to ask some questions about how the broadcasters will fare if the agency is given the power to hold incentive auctions.

The letter asked Chairman Genachowski how the broadcasters would be treated if incentive auctions are implemented. This policy would offer compensation to broadcasters who auction off their pieces of the airwaves. Proponents want more spectrum for mobile broadband. The letter asked the following: "If a licensee opts to participate in a voluntary incentive auction, what will be the effect on those licensees who opt to retain their spectrum? where and how will they be relocated? Will there be assurances to those licensees that their new channels will be as strong and robust as their previous channels? How do you plan to protect and educate those viewers who rely on existing over the-air services?" The letter also called for a spectrum inventory, which would ascertain which entities are using which pieces of the airwaves.