There is only so much of the wireless spectrum and both the wireless industry and the TV stations need more of it. To resolve this, two Los Angeles TV stations will be participating in a ‘test’, trying to establish whether spectrum-sharing is a viable option.
The real problem right now is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to purchase a portion of the wireless spectrum from the TV industry. This spectrum will then be re-sold to the cellular companies which are in an ever-growing need for more.
The big question is, how will this impact the TV industry. To prove that such a move will have minimal effect, the representative organization of the cellular industry, CTIA, has decided to bring together a demo where two TV stations will share the same spectrum while broadcasting their content.
Two TV stations in Los Angeles, namely KCLS and KJLA have apparently ‘volunteered’ to be a part of the test run, says CTIA. During the test, both stations will broadcast their content simultaneously, switching between HD and SD to see if anything impacts the quality of their broadcasts.
According to experts, if the test goes forth without any issues, it would be quite clear that spectrum-sharing is perfectly fine for the TV industry. FCC has chimed in with its two cents, telling everyone that it is keeping an eye on this one, “Channel-sharing represents a unique option for broadcasters that wish to continue to broadcast over-the-air programming, while also taking advantage of the incentive auction’s once-in-a-lifetime financial opportunity. We welcome this pilot project proposal, and look forward to reviewing it closely.”
Quite naturally, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) hasn’t given a definite stance on this development. A NAB spokesperson recently extended passive support to the initiative, NAB president recently snubbed spectrum-sharing, telling the TV industry to stay away from it.
Courtesy: The Verge
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