ABC, Sprint Nextel Agree on Spectrum Relocation

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ABC, SPRINT NEXTEL AGREE ON SPECTRUM RELOCATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Glen Dickson]
The ABC station group and wireless carrier Sprint Nextel have agreed to terms on how Sprint Nextel will reimburse ABC’s 10 owned-and-operated stations for new digital microwave gear that will allow ABC stations to vacate spectrum they have been using for electronic news gathering (ENG) and free it up for Sprint Nextel’s use. The process, known as “2 Ghz Relocation,” is the result of a $4.8 billion agreement the FCC brokered with Sprint Nextel in February 2005. The deal moves some of Sprint Nextel’s operations out of the 800 megahertz (MHz) frequency band, where its signals were interfering with public-safety communications, and into part of the 2 gigahertz (GHz) band, which broadcasters use to send both live and taped feeds from their trucks to the station. Sprint Nextel must spend roughly $500 million on digital ENG gear that will allow broadcasters to operate in a smaller swath of microwave spectrum. The wireless carrier will give back spectrum valued at $2.1 billion and also write the federal government a check for $2.2 billion.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6326943?display=Breaking+News


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