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Pro-Auction Demonstration Outside The FCC

The Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition gathered outside the FCC in Washington today to promote the FCC's inventive auction. Concerned that a growing watchdog-group-organized protest over an FCC net neutrality proposal had “sucked the oxygen out of the auction, we wanted to put the oxygen back," said coalition leader Preston Padden (left).

By Doug Halonen | May 14, 2014 | 2:08 p.m. ET.

Preston Padden, EOBC chief, is at leftStealing a march on net-neutrality protestors, Preston Padden, head of the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition, took his group’s campaign to encourage broadcast-friendly incentive auction regulations to the FCC’s headquarters building in Washington Wednesday morning.

Padden told TVNewsCheck that the group decided to stage its own protest due to concerns that a growing watchdog-group-organized protest over an FCC net neutrality proposal had “sucked the oxygen out of the auction, and we wanted to put the oxygen back.”

Padden said none of the FCC’s five commissioners walked by during the half hour his group held its vigil outside the entrance to the agency’s headquarters building. But Padden said he sent the accompanying photo to FCC staffers, “and they all thought it was a hoot.”

The FCC’s net neutrality proposal and the agency’s proposed regulations for the incentive auction are both scheduled for FCC votes tomorrow.

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Blair Faulstich says:

May 14, 2014 at 3:55 pm

While I agree on no scoring adjustments and most of the issues facing Class A’s and even Padden’s group in general, I feel Padden is a twerp that doesn’t understand squat about ecosystems. He has attempted to get his little cadre of Class A’s in the auction without understanding that there are other groups with legitimate concerns–Full Powers, LPTV’s and translators all have a place in providingr auction spectrum and a comprehensive plan to accommodate all needs to be in place. Otherwise the whole thing gets gummed up and crashes.

    Catherine Garcia says:

    May 14, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Just FYI, the Coalition has more than 70 member stations weighted toward the biggest markets and split evenly between Full Power and Class A.

Ellen Samrock says:

May 14, 2014 at 4:25 pm

A half hour?! That’s not much of a protest. Either the EOBC roustabouts were not true believers, not paid enough, didn’t understand the concept or had better things to do like get a Cafe Mocha at Starbucks while checking their emails and texts. Why not just start a Twitter campaign. It would be just as effective.