Tags: Wireless Spectrum, Broadband, Broadcasting, Emergency Response
Publication: NationalJournal.com
Publication Date: 10/30/2012

New Yorkers charge their phones on a makeshift tandembike-powered charging station in the street after Hurricane Sandy Image credit: Matt Kane

During Hurricane Sandy, the importance of local television and radio in emergency situations was clear. Broadcasters have been using this argument to dispute government’s plan to parcel out spectrum to new technologies.

Broadcasters have also used the natural disaster argument to fight against wireless telecommunications providers that suffered the most during these situations due to power outages and high winds that knock down cell-phone and broadband networks, as well as trouble handling heavy traffic.

The National Association of Broadcasters, backed by some federal emergency officials, has highlighted the reliability television and radio provide during disasters. Unlike the Internet and cellphones that might go out or be congested, traditional broadcasting proves to be the most effective way to get important information out to the communities with a one-to-many model of distribution that uses less spectrum than wireless. However, the CTIA fights back highlighting the need for people to communicate with their family and loved ones as well, something TV and radio can’t offer.

Ultimately, the key for mediating the spectrum battle would be to concede that both broadcast and broadband are equally important. For this, companies might just need to agree to share spectrum, rather than fight to have full access to swaths of bandwidth.

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