Martin Backs Divvying Up Reclaimed Broadcast Spectrum

MARTIN BACKS DIVVYING UP RECLAIMED BROADCAST SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants the spectrum in the upcoming 700 mHz auction to be divided into smaller geographic areas to make it easier for smaller companies and companies owned by minorities and women to bid on it. He also wants to put build-out requirements on services using the new spectrum to spur more radio broadband deployment. Chairman Martin also told the legislators the FCC is considering reclassifying wireless broadband as an information service. That would bring it in line with cable and telco-delivered Internet access, which were reclassified, freeing them from mandatory access provisions and creating the network neutrality debate that has become one of the hottest topics in Washington. Chairman Martin's plug for diversity went beyond the new 700 mHz auction. He put in a plug for ownership diversity, saying "at our public hearings the Commission has heard a consistent concern that there are too few local and diverse voices in the community." He said the Commission "must make sure that consumers have the benefit of a competitive and diverse media marketplace," but also said that it "must balance concerns about too much consolidation and too little choice with appropriate consideration of the changes and innovation that are taking place in the media marketplace.
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