D.C. Memo: CTA Official Says It’s Time to Reclaim and Auction TV Station Spectrum
‘It’s long past time to reset the system,’ says CTA SVP of Government & Regulatory Affairs Michael Petricone
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TV: A top official at the Consumer Technology Association called on Congress to auction spectrum licensed to America’s TV station owners. “An ‘Incentive Auction 2.0’ would allow the federal government to reclaim this spectrum, auction it openly, and let the market allocate it to its highest and best uses, while generating needed government revenue. Policymakers should start asking broadcasters some tough questions and looking for opportunities to put spectrum to its highest value use,” said CTA’s SVP of Government & Regulatory Affairs Michael Petricone in a blog post on TV Tech Tuesday. Regulators, he added, needed to remove regulatory advantages that belong to TV stations. “Everyone should compete on equal terms. No more freebies. No more special favors that distort the market and advantage legacy broadcasters over their competitors,” Petricone said. “Now, broadcasters want even more, including looser ownership rules so they can merge, consolidate, and entrench their position.” Grace Whaley, Director of Communications and Social Media at the National Association of Broadcasters, shot back: “Local stations show up for communities every day providing trusted news and lifesaving emergency information free over the air. It’s hardly a ‘special favor’ to ask that broadcasters be unshackled from outdated rules that prevent us from competing with global Big Tech platforms that face none of the same limits. We appreciate [FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s] willingness to modernize decades-old regulations and ensure local stations can continue keeping Americans safe and informed.” (More after paywall)
