August 1, 2012 – A bright light is emerging from Congress as a bipartisan group of members are calling again for a spectrum inventory that the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (Alliance) has called for multiple times.
The Alliance applauds House representatives and Senate members on key committees for asking for an inventory of each spectrum band between 300 MHz and 6.5 GHz as a minimum. U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) have re-introduced legislation to inventory the airwaves. In a press release, Snowe stated she believes more can and must be done to meet the future needs of all spectrum users and properly address existing spectrum challenges.
This will help resolve the issue whether there is indeed a spectrum crisis in our country that has continually been touted by the wireless companies. Based on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Report issued recently, the Government has the spectrum available and the ability to dictate policy that can end the so called “spectrum crisis.” It continues to be their belief that spectrum is plentiful with the proper implementation of technology.
“It is increasingly clear that the mad rush to collect dollars by putting America’s vital broadcast infrastructure at risk is being questioned,” said Mark Aitken, vice president of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group and an Alliance Board Member. “The PCAST Report just issued underscores the fact that there exists no uniform understanding of why spectrum is in use by whom for what purposes at what value wherever it may be. Broadcasters can take a large burden off of the wireless networks, and provide more efficient, effective distribution of bandwidth intensive services to a mobile American public, but only if given a chance to do so with the right technology.”
“This is something we’ve been promoting for over a year now,” according to Lee Miller, media director for The Alliance. “The wireless industry has contrived a crisis to reach for an agenda of total domination of the airwaves. We continue to demonstrate that broadcasters have a solution in the Broadcast Overlay Plan that will better fulfill the wants and needs of developing a more vibrant capability for consumers.”
The Alliance is advocating a “Broadcast Overlay Plan” which would meet the growing needs of one-to-many distribution for wireless broadband as a partnering solution between broadcasters and wireless carriers. Copies of the Broadcast Overlay Presentation and Economic Report are available on the Alliance homepage at https://www.broadcastingalliance.org .
ABOUT
The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance, formerly the Coalition for Free TV and Broadband, is an industry organization comprised of low power television broadcasters, translators, full power television broadcasters and allied industry organizations and companies. The goal of the Alliance is to preserve and promote the efficient and effective use of all television broadcast spectrum. Visit www.BroadcastingAlliance.org for more information and to join.
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