This week saw generally positive news for television broadcasters on the broadband front. First, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the FCC does not currently have authority to regulate the network management policies of Internet providers. Aside from the fact that the Court’s ruling challenged…
3/22/2010 Businesses dependent on spectrum should be alert to FCC trend toward greater frequency sharing and incumbent dislocation. Introduction The FCC’s staff has released its long-awaited National Broadband Plan (“NBP”). As expected, the NBP includes controversial proposals to reclaim 120 MHz of spectrum from television broadcasters. Another spectrum reallocation, involving…
March 17, 2010 Pillsbury invites you to join a conference call on Wednesday, March 24 at 2 p.m. to discuss the broadcast spectrum changes proposed in the National Broadband Plan. The National Broadband Plan (“NBP”) proposes immediate and sweeping steps that, if adopted, could displace many television broadcasters from their…
December 2009 Earlier this week, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking “specific data on the use of spectrum currently licensed to broadcast television stations.” According to the Public Notice, in other proceedings related to the FCC’s development of a National Broadband Plan some commenters “have expressed concern that the…
June 2008 The FCC has long permitted devices employing relatively low level radio frequency signals (“Part 15 devices”), such as garage door openers, cordless telephones, personal computers, and computer peripherals, to be operated without the need for a spectrum license. While such operations are unlicensed, the devices themselves are not…