TVN Tech | At 2020 Conventions, Less Spectrum For TV
Louis Libin, chairman of Election Wireless 2020, coordinates wireless requirements for broadcasters at the upcoming conventions, debates and election night. He says the repack has made assigning spectrum more challenging than ever, and that broadcasters must temper their expectations relative to past years.
He will be responsible for engineering elements to the company’s overall domestic and international strategy for spectrum utilization.
Sinclair Equipping 45 Stations With Drones
Ten Sinclair stations are already equipped with drones and the personnel to operate them and 35 will get them next year, says Sinclair Chief Pilot Jeff Rose. “Viewers love drones, he says. “They go over really big.”
Louis Libin has been designated as the single point of contact for frequency coordination operations at the Republican National Convention, the Democratic National Conventionand the Presidential Inauguration. He’s tasked with insuring that all unlicensed, short-term operations play nicely with one another and with their licensed confrères in the high-pressure, congested-spectrum environment of these three high-profile events.
TV Heading Toward Wireless Spectrum Crisis
The shortage of frequencies necessary for live production that looks to be coming after the spectrum repack has TV engineers very worried, says Louis Libin of Broad Comm, a broadcast spectrum consultancy, and executive director of the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance. He says stopgap measures, such as temporarily migrating to other bands, modifying production techniques and developing new wireless technologies, can help, but the real solution will come from an FCC that recognizes the value of over-the-air TV broadcasting.
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Shock And Dismay At U.S. Spectrum Policy
There are currently close to 6,000 LPTV and TV translator stations that serve the heart of America – with more stations in the construction process – providing local programming that cannot be found elsewhere. LPTV service has also brought more diversity to the broadcast television business. Unfortunately, the FCC’s upcoming broadcast spectrum incentive auction puts at risk low-power TV stations and could force many of them to turn off their signal forever.
The former NBC tech exec will lead the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance’s efforts to protect LPTV and other broadcast users of spectrum .
