Sen Udall: Broadcasting Still Matters

The continuing value of free, over-the-air broadcasting, the first wireless technology, can get lost amid the broadband bells and whistles and the clamor for more spectrum. That was the gist of the message to broadcasters from Senate Commerce Committee member Tom Udall (D-NM) at the National Association of Broadcasters State Leadership Conference in Washington. The conference is an opportunity for broadcasters from around the country to strategize and then fan out to Capitol Hill and the FCC to make the case for things like broadcast spectrum and a light touch on retrans reform. Sen Udall, who is the cousin of NAB President Gordon Smith (himself a former Republican Senator and member of the Commerce Committee), also made a plea for an interoperable broadband communications network and for the continued funding of public broadcasting, which is targeted by Republican House leaders for big cuts.