TV Owners To FCC: Drop Spectrum Meetings

A group of 15 TV station group owners calling themselves the Television Licensee Coalition (TLC) have asked the Federal Communications Commission to stop its “targeted outreach” efforts to convince stations to participate in the commission’s spectrum incentive auction.

The groups comprising the TLC said they are not identifying themselves "due to the sensitive nature of the issues...." Now, in a filing to the commission, TLC says that while it recognizes that “the FCC has quite properly embarked on a process of generally educating TV stations about this opportunity,” its plan to hold one-on-one sessions could be interpreted as “introducing an element of compulsion into the process.”

Because the Spectrum Act mandates a voluntary auction, TLC says, “the commission risks tipping the delicate balance” between a truly voluntary auction “and one in which the government is overreaching,” which would violate its statutory dictate.”