Electronics association accuses broadcasting chief of undermining auctions

The head of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) accused the head of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) of discouraging television stations from participating in planned auctions of airwaves. In a letter, Gary Shapiro, president of the CEA, urged NAB President Gordon Smith to "reconsider" his pessimistic comments about the spectrum auctions, which Congress authorized as part of legislation to extend a payroll tax cut earlier this year.