Howard University Takes Step Toward Sale of Spectrum Rights

Howard University said it would join other broadcasters in taking part in a Federal Communications Commission auction that could entail selling the rights to the spectrum on which it broadcasts the nation’s only black-owned public television station.

Citing confidentiality rules surrounding the auction, Howard did not detail its bidding strategy or intentions. According to FCC rules, the university may choose to completely cede its spectrum rights for a premium payout or to trade them for a less-valuable frequency type and a smaller payment. If it elects to cede its rights, Howard may take its 35-year-old station, WHUT, off the air or try to share spectrum space with another broadcaster. The auction has stirred vociferous debate at Howard, a historically black university, as students, faculty and alumni have called on trustees to weigh the station’s symbolic, educational and financial value.