LPTV INDUSTRY NEWS
Friday - 12/5/14

Here are only a few news items, but ones which we think you need to spend time on to understand the implications to LPTV...

The Changing Market for Spectrum
Former FCC Commissioner, Harold Furchtgott Roth, writing in Forbes magazine, takes a deep dive into the AWS-3 auction spectrum prices, and what that could mean to spectrum valuations.  If you believe as I do that the spectrum which LPTV now occupies (90% of the spectrum from 51-38, and 60% down to 32), that any increase in the AWS prices means a higher valuation for what LPTV is missing out on.  With what the former Commissioner has come up with, my analysis says that LPTV spectrum, which will be taken in the auction without compensation, is worth now more than $30 billion!  Shouldn't we get a taste of that pie?

AWS Auction Officially Goes Past $41 Billion
Once again our friends at RCR Wireless take us into a deep dive of the auction statistics.  While bidding in some of the major markets is now closed because of a lack of further bids, the mid and smaller markets is where the action now is.


          
DMA AUCTION STUDIES
We are almost done with our backlog of 
DMA Auction Studies, and we have made a breakthrough which enables us to explain very quickly to you what might happen to your station.  These studies are based on the latest FCC auction interference data.

Check out our

Got A Larcan Product Which Needs Repair?

We heard today from Alex DelMistro, from UBS Ltd in Toronto, Canada.  He say that UBS has hired several ex-Larcan employees. Larcan as you know was in the Toronto area not far from the UBS Ltd factory. Alex explained that when the opportunity to hire experienced RF design and service technicians presented itself, it was an easy decision for UBS to hire several engineering and technical personnel who were ex LARCAN employees. He was a Field Engineer at Larcan for over 12 years, so he knows a lot of the equipment LPTV and translators have in the field which might need repair.

Besides the potential for Larcan support, UBS Ltd acquired the assets of AXCERA LLC in Aug 2012...that division is known as UBS-AXCERA, which is located in Lawrence, PA.  Contact Alex if you need Larcan support!


Very Interesting Filing In The Unlicensed Spectrum Proceeding
As we have reported to you, an NPRM for the unlicensed spectrum users is happening at the same time as the LPTV one.  And we need to carefully watch it and will even be commenting into soon.  Today we ran across a filing from the wireless microphone manufacturers which may prove to be of great value to LPTV licensees.  All I will say is, Title III baby!  That may be the ticket to our displacement relocation cost problems...more to say once the legal folks weigh in on it as a strategy...make sure to read both the article and the filing, and thanks to the folks at TV Newscheck for reporting on it.

 


          

LPTV LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
Make sure to make your contribution to our industry's common legal defense, and be part of the movement to save LPTV.  Unless we fight the auction rules and regulations now, and in court in 2015, we will not have a lot of spectrum remaining to displace and rebuild into in 2016-2020.  

Comcast/Time Warner Merger Clocks Starts Ticking and Gets New Enemy
The FCC has restarted the clock on the Comcast/Time Warner merger, and at the same time gains a new enemy from a collaborative group of content companies.  The die may be cast on this merger, but folks are very upset about it.  We asked for discovery from the merger partners about LPTV must-carry, leased access, and retrans contracts, but we were denied this by the FCC.  We even asked for discovery within the Incentive Auction proceedings for it and was again denied.  Heck, we might as well throw in with these content companies...

 


             

HELP US EDUCATE CONGRESS
In January the new 114th Congress will be sworn in and there will be many new Congressional staff and elected Representatives to educate about LPTV issues.  This is a crucial activity for our Coalition and we need your help to fund the state by state education process.

The Impacts of the Incentive Auction on LPTV
Many of you have already read this guest editorial we wrote for TV Technology, but we thought it needs to be seen again by those you have not read it.  It lays out the issues in the auction for LPTV, and does it by the numbers.  The facts are the facts, and it will be very interesting to see what happens when the Courts see these statistics.

FCC Chairman's Annual Holiday Bash Fundraiser Smooze Fest
We attended the annual Federal Communications Bar Association annual FCC Chairman's event tonight here in DC.  Only 1700 lawyers, lobbyists, company officers, and officials from the world of mobile, cable, satellite, TV, radio, internet, and of course me as the lone LPTV representative.  Lots of the usual personal insider jokes which kept the crowd laughing, albeit much of which was nervous laughter.  Interesting to note, NAB was mentioned only a couple of times, and the Incentive Auction once, just to say the road show in January was going to happen.  The Chairman mostly talked about net neutrality, the cable merger, the AWS auction, and how cool it was he was be joked about on late night cable.  The real action was the reception before hand where introductions where made.  A big shout out to the New Jersey Broadcasters Association, PCIA, WISPA, Google, and EOBC.  And of course a big thanks to the Coalition member and his law firm which sponsored us.
In case you missed the Chairman's blog post today, which was co-authored with Commissioner Clyburn, here it is:


             

FILING NPRM COMMENTS?
Did you know that as an LPTV licensee that if you file Comments into the LPTV NPRM process the correct way you instantly gain status to take the FCC to the Court of Appeals (assuming some other standard legal conditions)?  Give your business the gift of having the standing to sue the pants off of the FCC about the Incentive Auction this New Year.  We can help you and your legal counsel, just ask!  Comment filings must be submitted by Jan. 12th, 2015.

The Impacts of the Incentive Auction on LPTV
Many of you have already read this guest editorial we wrote for TV Technology, but we thought it needs to be seen again by those you have not read it.  It lays out the issues in the auction for LPTV, and does it by the numbers.  The facts are the facts, and it will be very interesting to see what happens when the Courts see these statistics.
LPTV Displacement


If you are not already a member of the Coalition, or have not yet made your contribution to our LPTV Legal Defense Fund, it is time to do so.  And next week our new official trade association 501c6 structure will be in place.  We need all of you involved as best you can, and for as much as you can afford. 

LPTV is fighting battles on all sides and it will only be by working together and funding our collective legal defense which we can all survive the Incentive Auction process.


thanks

Mike Gravino
Director
LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition
lptvcoalition@gmail.com
(202) 604-0747

Some of you wanted to have access to previous newsletters, so here are the past few so that you can catch up on what has been happening in LPTV land.