NAB To TV: Take Spectrum Case To Public

The National Association of Broadcasters is asking TV stations to join the fight to preserve broadcast spectrum by airing an NAB-produced 30-second spot touting the benefits of free, over-the-air broadcasting. In an e-mail to stations from NAB President Gordon Smith and the NAB spectrum committee, the trade association says the spot will be available Dec. 21 and urges stations to run it "in heavy rotation" between Dec. 25 and Jan. 14 to insure "our viewpoint is heard loud and clear." "The broadcast industry could see the greatest assault on the public airwaves since the 1980s, with the anticipated release of the FCC's National Broadband Plan set for February 17, 2010," says the e-mail. The NAB fears that the plan will recommend that all or some of broadcast spectrum be reallocated for wireless broadband access, a service the FCC believes will soon be facing a spectrum shortage.