The NAB vs. Reality

[Commentary] One of Washington's most powerful corporate lobbies is at it again. Raising a dust cloud of lies in a last-ditch effort to stop new technology that could better the lives of millions. For more than five years, now, the television broadcast lobby has tried to deny the American public access to white spaces — unused airwaves that sit vacant between TV channels. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is clinging to horse-and-buggy notions about technology to protect their government-granted broadcast domains from advances that would let us share the air. "Opposing innovation is a well-worn page in the broadcasters' playbook," writes Jake Ward of the Wireless Innovation Alliance. "They opposed satellite radio, cable TV, and even the VCR, but the newest claims are outlandish even for NAB." The NAB believes that a mix of lies and lobbyists will win out over the facts in Washington. The sad truth is that they may be right: Many DC decision-makers simply lack the bandwidth to look into what's already known about white spaces technology. Instead, they rely upon industry lackeys who come knocking with tales of interference and disruption. The NAB is now trying to stop the FCC from following good science with good policies. Unless our leaders cut through the NAB static, we could be kept from using the airwaves to fill one of the biggest holes in our national infrastructure.