House E&C Leaders Advise FCC to OK Channel-Sharing Test

Some of the legislators who helped craft broadcast incentive auction legislations offered their support for a CTIA-led effort to test the channel sharing that would allow broadcasters to give up some spectrum to that auction.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said in a statement that they welcomed reports (B&C/Multi's was among the first) of the planned test involving a pair of Los Angeles stations, adding it was just the sort of thing they had in mind.

"When crafting the spectrum incentive auctions included in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, we envisioned groups working together to find more efficient use of this limited resource to meet ever growing demand,” said Upton and Walden in the statement. “We applaud these broadcasters and CTIA for their leadership and hope the FCC will act expeditiously to approve this trial.”

An FCC spokesman also said Tuesday that the commission welcomed the test—CTIA submitted a request to the FCC for approval.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.