NAB: Genachowski -- 'Broadcasters Will Thrive'

Strengthening mobile industry with new spectrum will create new opportunities for broadcasters, he believes

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/10/2013 5:30:33 PM

Complete Coverage: NAB Show 2013

In his last appearance at NAB as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski cited the upcoming spectrum auctions and his work to free up spectrum for mobile applications as one of the things he was most proud of having accomplished in his term at the FCC.

"When we started to talk in 2009 about spectrum crunch...many said there was no spectrum crunch," he said. He added that the legislation authorizing the auctions "was one of the major pieces of legislation passed by Congress" and "it took a lot of work."

Genachowski made the comments in a wide-ranging session at the 2013 NAB Conference on the morning of April 10 that was moderated Paul Karpowicz, president of Meredith Corp.'s Local Media Group.

Genachowski also highlighted the FCC's work on overhauling Universal Service Fund, the FCC's work on the Open Internet and the way they handled a number of major deals as major accomplishments.

The chairman acknowledged that the upcoming spectrum auctions and reallocations would pose challenges. "This will be the first major band plan that the FCC will do in the data world" and it will be different than "anything the FCC has done."

Genachowski also discussed how he'd seen broadcast change over the years, noting that many important things had remained the same. "The hunger that people have for what broadcast provides is basically the same" but that digital media and mobile had transformed it into a multiplatform world.

"I have always believed that broadcasters will thrive if they think of themselves as multiplatform content creators and take advantage of the new platforms," he said.

The chairman also argued that broadcasters should not see issues with spectrum and mobile as "a zero sum game," where a victory for mobile would be a loss for broadcasters.

He stated that broadcasters who agreed to sell their spectrum would exit the business with a "significant financial" payment and that those who stayed would benefit from a much stronger mobile business, just as they had benefited from the rise of cable.

"Mobile is an exciting new platform for exactly what broadcasters produce, which is great local content," he said, later adding that mobile "could be the greatest opportunity to grow the content pie for everyone."