FCC wants 120MHz of spectrum from TV stations

15.03.2010
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will seek to take back 120MHz of spectrum from U.S. television stations in the next five years and reallocate it to wireless broadband providers in a voluntary program that would allow the stations to share or keep spectrum auction revenues, under a national broadband plan that will be officially released Tuesday.

The FCC would seek approval from Congress to conduct "incentive auctions" of unused spectrum, including TV spectrum, and the agency could either act as a third-party auctioneer of the spectrum or share the auction proceeds with the sellers, according to the broadband plan, which the FCC released to reporters Monday.

The TV spectrum auctions are part of a goal to free up 500MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband over the next decade, one of the major goals of the 400-page broadband plan. If, however, the FCC doesn't get enough volunteers to free up spectrum, it will look for other ways to take back the spectrum, but FCC officials said Monday they expect to get enough TV stations to give up their extra spectrum in exchange for auction proceeds.

Only a few TV stations in major markets will need to turn over their spectrum in order for the FCC to meet its spectrum goals, an FCC official said.

The TV spectrum is sometimes called "beachfront property" for wireless broadband because of its ability to carry signals long distances and penetrate buildings and other obstacles. "Enabling the reallocation of this spectrum to broadband use in a way that would not harm consumers overall has the potential to create new economic growth and investment opportunities with limited potential impact on broadcast business models," the broadband plan said.

Under current rules, TV stations can sell their broadcast licenses or lease spectrum to other organizations for other uses. But spectrum leasing hasn't proven popular, because wireless broadband providers need more than a 6MHz band of spectrum in one TV market to provide a sustainable service, said one FCC official, speaking on background.