As the song goes, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Will wireless kill some free public T-V? That’s the latest media question. The Federal Communications Commission is holding an auction in which wireless companies such as Verizon and A-T-and-T will bid on parts of the nation’s airwaves currently being used by television stations. It’s called a spectrum auction, and some are concerned it could have a disproportionate impact on smaller T-V stations. Public-broadcasting advocate John Schwartz is one of them. He’s the director and found of the Voqal Companies…
Schwartz and others are concerned that, given the incentive to sell spectrum, the owners of some public television stations that serve diverse communities in many cities will give in. He and others say minority voices could be muffled and the T-V industry, virtually lacking any minority ownership to begin with, would be further “mainstreamed” The auction is set to start on the 13th of November. Todd O’Boyle of Common Cause says there are billions at stake…
The government also intends to use some of the money raised to build a next-generation public safety communications system.