Thursday, March 14, 2013

FCC Commissioners Questioned Over Spectrum Auctions

All five members of the Federal Communications Commission testified on Capitol Hill March 12 at what could be the final congressional oversight hearing for the Julius Genachowski-led FCC.

While Chairman Genachowski has not announced his plans to step down, he is widely expected to vacate the top FCC job in President Obama's second term.

According to bna.com, at the outset of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) keyed in on Genachowski's status, questioning whether the FCC could realistically meet its self-imposed deadlines for conducting the first-ever “incentive auctions” of spectrum if Genachowski resigns.

The FCC is working to finalize the rules for the auction in 2013 with hopes of holding the auction in 2014. Such a timeline may prove difficult to meet amid a change in leadership at the commission, Thune said.

Genachowski dodged the question, saying only that incentive auctions remain the agency's highest priority.

Commissioner Robert McDowell, the senior Republican member of the agency, expressed optimism that the FCC will meet its self-imposed deadlines, but urged caution.

The agency is trying to reclaim airwaves now used for broadcast television and auction them off to carriers led by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., with a portion of the proceeds paid to the broadcasters. Even at this early stage in the process, agency officials anticipate a return of between 60 and 80 megahertz from broadcasters, roughly half of the amount contemplated when the FCC released the National Broadband Plan in 2010.

The broadcast TV spectrum is seen as crucial to wireless carriers to help meet the ever-increasing consumer demand for smartphones and tablet computers, which require more radio spectrum to carry their data transmissions--significantly more than what is needed to carry cellular telephone calls.

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