Senator Claire McCaskill
A coalition of full and low-power broadcasters (LPTV) does not believe the Spectrum Auction bill (SB-911) passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee of the U.S. Senate adequately protects the vast majority of television broadcasters in the country.The Coalition for Free TV and Broadband says the Committees failure to include any Low-power broadcasters in the language of the bill will be the first step in the death of the LPTV industry which operates more than seven-thousand television stations and translators across the United States.The Coalition, which represents hundreds of Community Broadcast Stations, licensees and permitees, applauds the attempt in the markup hearing on SB911, of Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) to include low-power stations in any government auction of the television spectrum. Senator McCaskill had an amendment in the bill that protected LPTV and insured that LPTV would get compensated if their spectrum were taken away. She read a statement that was a full-throated defense of LPTV. Unfortunately, she withdrew the amendment by request from Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.VA). Among the beliefs of the Coalition are the following: the Federal Government should not take spectrum away from free television broadcasters and give it to a few wireless monopolies; if the spectrum is lost, hundreds of television stations that provide free, local, minority, and faith-based programs could go off the air; if the spectrum is auctioned, all Class A, LPTV stations, and translators must be included; television broadcasters have solutions that will allow them to provide free or low cost wireless internet to their communities and if allowed to fully utilize their bandwidth, television broadcasters will provide a necessary alternative to traditional wireless internet providers. This competition will be good for the consumer.
