Senate Commerce Committee Passes Spectrum Auction Bill

[dhett]

One step closer to getting that Genachowski cash:

http://tvtechnology.com/article/121552

 

[JeeperOne]

Ahh BUT Rep. Peter King (D-NY & co-sponsor of the bill) has got an ammendment to the House version of the bill which would preserve the 70 cm. Amateur Radio band & keep it intact

Otherwise, you're right.....

Cheers

 

[imagist]

Senator McCaskill defends Low Power Television

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCCamW773M&feature=related

 

[dhett]

Actually, that was a Texas advertisement for FreeTVandBroadband.org, urging Texans to write their US Senators.

Here is the Claire McCaskill clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAw9TrZ7LBA&NR=1

I applaud the Senator for speaking up, but she did not offer the amendment for a vote, and gives the overall impression that this is a done deal. (Insert shock and awe here)

 

[BRNout]

Ahh BUT Rep. Peter King (D-NY & co-sponsor of the bill) has got an ammendment to the House version of the bill which would preserve the 70 cm. Amateur Radio band & keep it intact

Otherwise, you're right.....

Cheers

Sorry Pat, but Peter King is actually a Republican - representing New York's 3rd congressional district.

 

[JeeperOne]

Ahh BUT Rep. Peter King (D-NY & co-sponsor of the bill) has got an ammendment to the House version of the bill which would preserve the 70 cm. Amateur Radio band & keep it intact

Otherwise, you're right.....

Cheers

Sorry Pat, but Peter King is actually a Republican - representing New York's 3rd congressional district.

Sorry BRNout but Republican or not, my sources (Which I'll have to dig up later) all point out that he's been working with Hams in Long Island to preserve the 70 cm. band as outlined above

Plus, this article says Representatives of the ARRL (The Voice of Amateur Radio) will be testifying before Congress & this article points out a Senate companion bill which avoids the 70 cm Amateur Radio band

There are other articles as well

Perhaps other Hams (Particularly those in the know) can chime in here so I don't look foolish? ;D

Cheers & 73

 

[Fieldtech1]

As some one who has worked in engineering end of the wireless phone industry it frustrates me to hear these companies crying about lack of spectrum. I guess the best analogy i could give is. Think of kids hitting and busting a pinata (The wireless spectrum auctions). The kids grab as much candy(Spectrum) as their greedy hands can hold. They begin eating the candy. They take one bite of a candy bar then throw it away half eaten (Poorly packed wireless spectrum) to begin eating a another halfway, then eating a another till theyve had a bite of every candy bar, and are out of candy. They then begin crying for more candy.

Ive seen pitiful engineering practices, antennas not operating any where near spec, defective equipment, ect ect. They do a poor job of packing the spectrum they have effectively. If these wireless companies would rework the spectrum they already have we wouldnt be squabbling over this.

 

[dhett]

That's a fantastic analogy. Telecom companies don't exactly have a reputation for using their resources efficiently, and as long as someone is willing to give them more instead of requiring them to use what they have more efficiently, they'll continue to demand more.

The FCC didn't help matters much either. They set a much higher reserve price than anyone was willing to pay for the 10 MHz D Block spectrum license, so about 15% of the spectrum offered for auction sits unused. Another auction is scheduled for 7/19; we'll see what happens then.