“Some U.S. airwaves used for free, over-the-air TV signals must be repurposed for mobile broadband use to tackle a looming spectrum crisis, the top U.S. communications regulator said on Tuesday,” Jasmin Melvin reports for Reuters.
“The Federal Communications Commission wants Congress to grant it authority to hold incentive auctions that would compensate television broadcasters for giving up some of their spectrum to wireless companies,” Melvin reports. “‘I believe the single most important step that will drive our mobile economy and address consumer frustration is authorizing voluntary incentive auctions,’ FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told broadcasters at their annual convention in Las Vegas.”
Melvin reports, “But broadcasters have been resistant to the agency’s proposal, worried about the unintended consequences that parting with airwaves could have on their TV signals and the viewers they serve… Some 25 million Americans watch video on their cell phones, and tablet computers like Apple Inc’s iPad put 120 times more demand on spectrum than older phones. ‘This growing demand is not going away. The result is a spectrum crunch,’ Genachowski said. ‘The only thing that can address the growing overall demand for mobile is increasing the overall supply of spectrum and the efficiency of its use.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]