(Bidness Etc.) – The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the chief advocacy association for America’s broadcasters, has filed a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This has been done to contest certain components of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) 2015 broadcaster spectrum incentive auction. The NAB is concerned with the way the FCC measures coverage area and subscribers served for broadcasters as it can potentially lead to a ‘significant’ loss of viewership, for NAB members and various other broadcasters.
Major telecom carriers are eager to get their hands on the coveted low frequency airwaves. Therefore, the FCC auction aims to take spectrum from TV broadcasters in a reverse auction, and package it for use of spectrum-hungry wireless carriers.
Previously, giving up their spectrum was voluntary for TV broadcasters, and under a statutory command the coverage area and population served would have been protected for those broadcasters who didn’t want to give up spectrum.