Broadcasters and Consumers Should Be Wary

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[Commentary] If the government’s auction of some of the most valuable broadcast spectrum succeeds, broadcasters and consumers should be wary. Once broadcasters relinquish their valuable spectrum, who will inherit their longstanding commitment to local service? The broadcast industry may have its warts, but when it comes to meeting the information needs of local communities, nobody does it better -- not cable and not the Internet or wireless service providers. When the flood waters rise or the cell towers fail, local broadcasters are the go-to medium for news, weather and safety information from coast to coast. The arcane regulatory distinction between cable and broadcast television stands at the very core of this issue.

Simply put, by well-settled law, broadcast is highly regulated and cable is not. Broadcasters have public service obligations -- wireless providers, not so much. Ultimately, the Federal Communications Commission is duty-bound to uphold the public interest. Local broadcasters have expanded those obligations as responsible custodians of the public airwaves. Can we expect the same from the new owners, or will policymakers need to write new rules for getting important public service information to communities?

[Hoffman, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, is the founder and chairman of Business in the Public Interest]


Broadcasters and Consumers Should Be Wary