SpottedCat Broadcast TV frequencies belong to all of us.
But less than 10% of people are still watching them, and that spectrum is worth billions of dollars.
Technically, the spectrum belongs to the federal government, and they’re free to do anything they want with it.
Even the companies that “buy” spectrum don’t actually own it, they just own a license to use it, and it can be revoked by the FCC at any time if they feel like it.
There’s usually a lot of restrictions that come with owning those licenses, like buildout requirements. Use it or lose it. If you own spectrum but aren’t doing anything with it, the FCC will take it back from you and sell it to someone else.
That’s one of the reasons why Comcast sold all of their 600MHz to T-Mobile. They weren’t using it.
SpottedCat Once that spectrum is sold off, it’s gone forever.
It’s the FCC’s job to decide how spectrum should benefit the most amount of people.
98% of people have a smartphone now, but less than 10% are watching antenna TV.
What use would benefit the most people?
markmich4 these ar PUBLIC airwaves, owned by the people. (I’m talking about USA).
No, they’re owned by the federal government (FCC), who can do whatever they want with them.
If the FCC decided to take that spectrum away from TV stations, they have that right.
markmich4 Cellphone companies already have a lot of unused spectrum they’re just sitting on!
No they don’t, other than mmWave which only reaches a few hundred feet and is blocked by walls.
px_eliezer_ That is the whole basis of the Communications Act of 1934, that the US public owns the airwaves.
Clearly not, since the FCC has already taken spectrum away from TV stations. As is their legal right, since the federal government owns all wireless spectrum in the US.
600, 700, and 850MHz currently used by your cell phone used to be UHF channels 38-83.