FCC Chairman Wheeler's Response to Members of Congress Regarding Repacking Full Power TV Broadcasters in the 600 MHz Band

On Sept 1, in a letter to several members of Congress, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler responded to inquiries regarding repacking full-power TV broadcasters in the 600 MHz Band following the Incentive Auction.

Chairman Wheeler wrote, "...our auction system could assign some TV broadcasters to the duplex gap if there is not sufficient channel capacity in the TV band in a market to accommodate all of the broadcasters that wish to remain on the air after the auction. At the same time, we also adopted a cap on the ability of the system to assign stations to the wireless band to limit impairments to the spectrum being made available for wireless broadband use -- unlicensed as well as licensed. The Commission staff analysis indicated that broadcast stations may need to be placed in the duplex gap in only a handful of markets. However, the FCC has proposed to protect a second vacant television channel for unlicensed use and wireless microphones in markets where broadcasters are placed in the duplex gap....I believe the rules we adopted strike the appropriate balance between providing the necessary flexibility for a successful auction and preserving spectrum for unlicensed use."