The NAB Skewers FCC's Auction Rules

When the Federal Communications Commission adopted a rulemaking aimed at setting the rules for the incentive auction of TV spectrum and repacking of the TV band in May, the National Association of Broadcasters expressed deep concerns about it.

Now that the trade group has had a chance to read the 500-page text of the rulemaking, its concerns have only deepened.

"The order's fundamental flaw is that it ignores Congress's clear direction to do no harm to broadcasters who choose not to participate in the voluntary auction," said NAB President Gordon Smith. "Instead, the [FCC] goes so far as to suggest that the goal of repurposing broadcast spectrum for mobile broadband is superior, rather than equal to, that of maintaining a healthy and robust broadcast industry.