Background: The Federal Communications Commission today issued a public
notice asking for comment on the future use of spectrum now held by
broadcasters. The notice is here:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2518A1.pdf
The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and
co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“The FCC is displaying significant courage and foresight in asking
about the future of the broadcast spectrum. This issue traditionally has
not been open for public discussion, and we are pleased to see that it is
now part of the broadband agenda.
“At the same time, we want to make certain that as the Commission
looks at different uses for all of the broadcast spectrum, it continues
to recognize the importance of the ‘white spaces’ between
digital TV channels which have been set aside for unlicensed uses, and
which show substantial promise in bringing broadband service to rural
areas.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.