Perhaps one day free over the air TV might be completely auctioned off.

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Perhaps one day free over the air TV might be completely auctioned off. Back in 1983 UHF channels 70-83 (806 MHz to 890 MHz) were taken away from free over the air TV and used for analog cell phones. Then recently with the move from NTSC to ATSC UHF channels 52-69 (698 MHz to 806 MHz) was taken away. So all that is left is channels 2 to 51. Of course with ATSC digital compression several virtual channels can be squeezed into the same area as 1 analog NTSC channel held.

Now the FCC is considering on taking away more TV spectrum and selling it to companies that need it to offer more wireless Internet services. It is possible one day that all the TV and/or radio spectrum could be taken away within a few decades. In the future just about everyone might subscribe to a wireless Internet provider to receive TV and radio channels that are streamed over the Internet. Right now the FCC is only talking about eliminating a portion of the TV spectrum and not the entire TV spectrum. And Radio spectrum for now would remain untouched with no plans yet to take away radio spectrum. If the spectrum keeps shrinking for TV over several years then someday there would be no more Free over the air TV. Perhaps AM/FM radio spectrum could be taken away also and eliminated. Since peoples taxes and advertisers pay for free over the air TV and radio, technically free broadcast TV and radio is not really totally free.

In the future all new wireless phones and most wireless devices might be able to pick up digital ATSC TV stations and streaming live TV channels from the Internet.

Following are Select Quotes from Broadcast Engineering article

"The FCC is considering taking back some spectrum from television broadcasters and auctioning it off to wireless companies to increase the availability of mobile broadband services"

" A strong argument in favor of reclaiming some of the spectrum broadcasters were given for free is that broadband access is simply more useful to the average citizen than traditional TV."

" Although TV stations never paid for it in the first place, the FCC envisions paying broadcasters about $12 billion to buy the airwaves back and $9 billion to move homes watching OTA TV to digital or subscription services."

" The current thinking at the FCC is not to take back all of the broadcasters' airwaves. Instead, the commission would take back a portion of the airwaves set aside for digital TV broadcasts and auction them off to wireless companies that want to offer more wireless Internet services."

" Broadcasters, now pushing their own wireless standard, want mobile phones and other wireless devices to come equipped with receivers that would allow consumers to watch digital TV."

" Special auctions for the reclaimed spectrum would net the FCC as much as $62 billion."


http://broadcastengineering.com/news/fcc-considers-tv-spectrum-1102/