Congress May Fast-Track Spectrum Auctions

Congress may grant the Federal Communications Commission authority to conduct incentive auctions of broadcast television spectrum sooner than expected — possibly this summer — by attaching the authorizing language to the critical debt-ceiling bill that appears headed for passage in the next few weeks.

The National Association of Broadcasters has been closely monitoring the debt-ceiling discussions for months, understanding that it could be the vehicle for the spectrum auctions, says Dennis Wharton, executive vice president for media relations. At the same time, NAB has also been "working hard to ensure that spectrum-related provisions would include replication and interference protections for the vast majority of TV stations that will choose to remain in business," Wharton says. "The 46 million viewers who rely exclusively on free and local television for news, entertainment, sports, and life-saving weather information deserve nothing less,” he adds. Wharton says NAB wants to make sure that if a station is forced to relocate to another channel, that does not result in reduced coverage and hence a loss of potential viewers. "We also don't want our opportunity to do mobile DTV diminished,” he adds.