Seller Beware

[Commentary] Both television broadcasters and cable operators have a stake as the Federal Communications Commission considers reclaiming some broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband. Most cable viewership is through broadcast programming; most broadcast viewership is over cable channels. Broadcasters with government money, and no over-the-air or HD signal except cable or satellite carriage, would have to prove their local value to multichannel video programming distributors, and risk getting cut out of the equation. Yes, more spectrum for wireless broadband is a given, but from whom and how it will be taken should remain an open question, not a foregone conclusion. The FCC is all about not predetermining outcomes these days (its mantra for the broadband plan, network neutrality, media ownership, etc.). While some debt-laden, cash-strapped broadcasters could be tempted by the easy out of a government payoff, and cable operators contemplate their own payoff in government cash and retrans options, they both have tradeoffs that should not be obscured by the glare of large, flashing dollar signs.