Pat Cook said:
First off, while it's true that they've not shown any interest in expanding the FM band to 76 Mhz., the truth is the FCC considers spectrum to be something that's auctionable. That's because they feel that radio spectrum sold to the highest bidder will help pay off the National Debt (Don't ask me how they figure this. All I know is they do).
Well, really it's Congress that considers spectrum to be auctionable. (several Congresses ago, I don't remember which party was in charge & it really doesn't matter) They ordered the FCC to use auctions to allot spectrum for commercial use. At least in the broadcasting service, they're collecting significantly more than they take in in license fees.
That said though, my opinion is that they will expand the FM broadcast band. They're gonna have to at the rate they're licensing FM radio stations (And refusing to take down stations unworthy of holding a license out of fear of being sued). One needn't look any further than all the radio stations popping up on frequencies occupied by the old TV Channel 6 as an example of this.
I'd be willing to bet (but not too much$$) that they
won't expand it.
First & foremost, because they want to free up UHF-TV spectrum for mobile devices. (they feel there's significantly more demand for that. In order to obtain 35MHz of spectrum for mobile devices, Nextel was willing to replace nearly all the non-satellite gear used by TV stations to pickup live remotes. There are over 1,000 TV stations, with a typical station having ten transmitters & 3-5 receivers. Not to mention control systems & labor for installation. Nextel spent a LOT of money for that 35MHz!)
What does that have to do with channels 5 & 6? If the FM BCB were to expand into 76-88MHz, the TV stations currently operating there would need to move to new channels. Those channels would almost certainly be UHF -- and that UHF spectrum would no longer be auctionable for use by mobile devices. 6MHz of auctionable spectrum would be lost in the busy New York-Philadelphia corridor, putting a huge hole in the Commission's mobile device plans.
Secondly, the Commission seems to feel broadcasting is on its way out. They seem to feel streaming over mobile devices is the future of media. You may disagree (I do) but when it comes to spectrum decisions, what matters is what the Commission feels *now*. Doing anything for radio at the potential expense of mobile devices is not going to happen.
Thirdly, the industry isn't interested. They fought tooth-and-nail against LPFM and Eureka DAB. The latter fight was IMHO primarily spurred by the fear of massive additional competition from the new stations made possible by DAB multicasting. The former fight is nearly impossible to explain any other way. They won't stand for creation of additional FM signals. Doesn't matter if they'd all replace existing AM operations. (which could go from being competitive non-entities to being potentially fully-competitive FM stations) Doesn't matter if they'd all be non-commercial. (so is LPFM)
Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if a few commercialized Channel 6 TV stations in some cities/towns either started or moved a radio station to that very spot in an effort to keep their viewers as listeners similar to what the CBS O&O stations in New York, LA, Chicago, Boston & Philly have done for years (Although of course all of those radio stations are on AM & none of the TV stations were on Channel 6)
I *really* doubt any of the TV-6 stations that were promoting themselves as 87.7FM were pulling enough audience that way to cover the costs of operating the transmitter. It was a nice bonus audience, not something you could make a living on.
