MMTC Hosts Spectrum Auction Debate

It was billed as an Entrepreneurship and Innovation panel on telecom policy, but as happens frequently in Washington, the topic of a Minority Media & Telecommunications Council panel session played host to the continuing debate over spectrum and incentive auctions.

That was to be expected since the panel included both Chris Guttman of CTIA and Jane Mago EVP and general counsel of the National Association of Broadcasters, who are on opposite sides of the issue. Mago pointed out that the Hispanic community was still a major and important consumer of over-the-air TV -- an audience member from LULAC (the League of United Latin American Citizens) broke in to suggest that was because cable was too expensive and if Comcast would just lower its rates. Guttman said his organization was not out to deep six broadcasting and wanted to dispel the notion that Congress wanted to get rid of free over-the-air TV in favor of pay.