National Association of Broadcasters: FCC's Phased Approach to Repack Is Reasonable

The National Association of Broadcasters says it is OK with the Federal Communications Commission's phased approach to transitioning TV stations to new channels after the incentive auction, calling it a reasonable approach to spreading out the work required and trying to avoid bottlenecks in the supply chain for a daisy chain of station moves. NAB called the FCC's post-spectrum auction repack proposal a "productive and critical step." It also said it agreed that there should be no more than 10 different phases, saying more than that would be overly complex.

But it also had a couple of suggestions for avoiding missteps. The first was to prioritize minimizing viewer disruptions. The second was to remain flexible about which phase stations were placed in—saying they should be considered "tentative" assignments—based on "facts on the ground....Weather conditions, delayed zoning approvals, supply chain issues, and unanticipated engineering complexity for some stations can and will create delays that will have cascading effects for other stations." NAB put a sharper point on its number two suggestion. "Unfortunately, while there is much promise in the proposed scheduling plan, the Commission’s continued insistence that the transition can be completed in 39 months has painted the Commission into a succession of unnecessary corners that ultimately threaten the transition’s viability," NAB said.