FCC’s Pai Pans Wireless Repack of TV Stations

Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai has a host of serious bones to pick with the FCC's incentive auction plans — particularly repacking TV stations in the wireless band — and will make them clear to members of the House Communications Subcommittee in testimony scheduled for July 28.

Pai's concerns are over both the substance and process and while he was pleased the FCC put off a vote on the auction framework from July 16 to Aug. 6, he thinks the FCC should hold an en banc stakeholder hearing before holding that vote. Commissioner Pai says that, on the process side, the FCC has not provided broadcasters enough information and in a sufficiently timely manner. He also says his suggestions for improving the auction have fallen on deaf ears. He says that he has heard complaints that the FCC has not supplied enough information for the public to assess the validity of the chairman's incentive auction procedures plan, and says he doesn't think he has gotten enough info to assess it either. But one thing he appears sure of is that the plan repacks too many broadcasters in the wireless band, including the downlink portion.