Should there be a role other than surrendering spectrum for broadcasters to play in meeting the nation’s future demand for broadband wireless Internet service?
Greg Herman, the head of SpectrumEvolution.org and the president of LPTV broadcaster WatchTV in Portland, OR, thinks so. Herman is in Washington, D.C., this week making the rounds to pitch his contention that broadcasters should be freed from regulations requiring them to use 8-VSB modulation for DTV transmission.
Herman would like to see broadcasters be given the freedom to deploy newer digital modulation approaches, like OFDM, which he sees as creating a significant role for broadcasters in providing wireless broadband Internet service.
Because much of the anticipated demand for wireless Internet capacity stems from the growing popularity of watching Internet TV on portable devices, broadcasters could play a critical role.
In this podcast interview, Herman talks about broadcasters as wireless broadband providers, what would be needed to modify broadcast transmission infrastructure to serve this new role and the ongoing stream of revenue the government could collect from broadcasters who use some of their spectrum to deliver broadband Internet service.