Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The FCC just sold a chunk of the wireless spectrum to T-Mobile
The FCC just sold a chunk of the wireless spectrum to T-Mobile
Dish, Comcast and US Cellular were also big winners at the FCC's first broadcast incentive auction.
Jessica Conditt, @JessConditt
14h ago
The results are in. After a year-long process, the Federal Communications Commission today announced the conclusion of its first-ever broadcast incentive auction, naming T-Mobile, Dish, Comcast and US Cellular as the biggest winners. .... The FCC raked in $19.8 billion in gross revenue for 70MHz of spectrum, so you could call the commission itself a winner, too.
But of course, the FCC doesn't get to keep all of that cash. Roughly $7 billion raised in the auction will help pay down the national debt, and more than $10 billion will go to the 175 winning broadcasters participating in the FCC's program to repurpose their airwaves for mobile carriers. For example, NBCUniversal earned $481.6 million by selling spectrum in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. Meanwhile, NBC's parent company, Comcast, ended up spending $1.7 billion to acquire mobile spectrum in the auction.
These sold stations will move to lower channels, be absorbed into other networks or disappear from the airwaves completely. An additional 957 non-winning stations will change channels in an effort to clear the airwaves for mobile use; the first group of stations will begin migrating on November 30th, 2018.
This mostly affects people who use over-the-air antennas, as they'll have to re-scan their TV sets as the changes roll in. Cable and satellite TV providers should make any necessary changes for their customers. The FCC has set up an FAQ page for anyone wondering what the televised future holds.
Dish, Comcast and US Cellular were also big winners at the FCC's first broadcast incentive auction.
Jessica Conditt, @JessConditt
14h ago
The results are in. After a year-long process, the Federal Communications Commission today announced the conclusion of its first-ever broadcast incentive auction, naming T-Mobile, Dish, Comcast and US Cellular as the biggest winners. .... The FCC raked in $19.8 billion in gross revenue for 70MHz of spectrum, so you could call the commission itself a winner, too.
But of course, the FCC doesn't get to keep all of that cash. Roughly $7 billion raised in the auction will help pay down the national debt, and more than $10 billion will go to the 175 winning broadcasters participating in the FCC's program to repurpose their airwaves for mobile carriers. For example, NBCUniversal earned $481.6 million by selling spectrum in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. Meanwhile, NBC's parent company, Comcast, ended up spending $1.7 billion to acquire mobile spectrum in the auction.
These sold stations will move to lower channels, be absorbed into other networks or disappear from the airwaves completely. An additional 957 non-winning stations will change channels in an effort to clear the airwaves for mobile use; the first group of stations will begin migrating on November 30th, 2018.
This mostly affects people who use over-the-air antennas, as they'll have to re-scan their TV sets as the changes roll in. Cable and satellite TV providers should make any necessary changes for their customers. The FCC has set up an FAQ page for anyone wondering what the televised future holds.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
