FCC: Bandwidth Relief Not In Sight

Don’t expect mobile bandwidth to get much better in the next 10 years. That was the bottom-line message from Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell during a talk at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Mobile Marketplace.

“I don’t anticipate any major chunks of spectrum getting into the hands of consumers for the better part of a decade,” said Commissioner McDowell, in an on-stage interview with Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation to set aside a chunk of unlicensed spectrum for wireless broadband by auctioning off broadcast spectrum. It would allow the FCC to conduct “incentive” auctions, which would give TV stations that voluntarily gave up spectrum a piece of the auction proceeds. TV station group owners have opposed the measure as unlawful and contrary to the public interest. The initiative, which would free up an estimated 80 megahertz for mobile broadband, would provide a framework that would allow two or more TV stations to share a single 6-MHz channel. But Commissioner McDowell questioned the willingness of stations to go along with that plan. “I’m a little less optimistic we'll actually see results like that," he said. He also emphasized the complexity of the TV spectrum would make the process even more difficult than usual, comparing it to “three-level chess.” In the first phase, a “reverse auction" -- in which multiple stations will compete to sell spectrum to the FCC -- those that want to turn over some or all of their spectrum can seek the price they want, but without any guarantee they'll get it. If two or more stations in a market offer to sell spectrum, the FCC would be able to choose the lowest price. Then, in a regular “forward auction,” the FCC will resell the frequencies to wireless operators bidding for airwaves.