Do We Really Need a 2nd Broadcast System?

[Commentary] Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said that the carrier now believes that the best way of handling some of the expected demand for video on its new super-fast broadband network is broadcasting -- that is, pumping one signal to many users simultaneously rather than millions of signals one at a time. If Verizon Wireless is thinking this way, my bet is that some of its competitor and would-be competitors are too. There's an obvious alternative: A thousand TV stations pumping video to mobile devices should satisfy much of the demand for on-the-go video and relieve broadband networks of what may be an uneconomical chore.