Former NAB Chief Weighs In On Spectrum Issues

Former National Association of Broadcasters President Eddie Fritts said that a proposal to persuade broadcasters to voluntarily give up some of their spectrum is not necessarily a done deal.

Fritts said the battle over the issue of incentive auctions could take more than a decade or more to sort out. The issue relates to a Federal Communications Commission proposal to entice broadcasters to voluntarily give up some spectrum in exchange for a share of proceeds from the auction of those airwaves. Fritts said he does not believe the proposal is a forgone conclusion. He said there is still a lot of negotiation that will have to play out at the FCC and in Congress, which will have to authorize the proposal. "We know there is a thirst for these frequencies, but it has to be done right," he said. He and others at the NAB show also disputed claims that there is a national spectrum shortage. He said while there is a shortage of spectrum in bigger markets such as the Northeast, Chicago and Los Angeles, "there is not a spectrum crisis across the nation." FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake acknowledged this, saying we are facing a "spectrum crunch not crisis." But he warned it could turn into a crisis in coming years if regulators don't find more spectrum to meet the growing demand for wireless broadband.