CTIA Supports TV Spectrum Reallocation

CTIA, the principal lobby of the wireless telephone industry, is backing the idea of taking back broadcasting spectrum and making it available for wireless broadband access. The Federal Communications Commission should consider "reallocating this valuable spectrum to services better able to serve the needs of U.S. consumers," the wireless operators said in the FCC inquiry into making broadband access less expensive and more widely available. In a plan floated by the FCC's Blair Levin earlier this month, the agency promised broadcasters some share of the proceeds that would come from auctioning the broadcast spectrum to wireless operators. Broadcasters would also be able to retain some spectrum so that they could continue broadcasting a standard-definition-only service for the millions of consumers who still rely solely on over-the-air TV. So far, however, broadcasters are rejecting the plan. Although CTIA doesn't specifically cite the Levin plan, it makes clear its support for reallocation of the broadcast spectrum.