TV broadcasters have launched an ad campaign aimed at defeating a tech industry proposal to transmit high-speed Internet service over unused airwaves. To pressure Uncle Sam, the National Association
of Broadcasters--worried about possible interference with over-the-air TV--said their spots will air in the Washington, D.C. market, while print ads will run in Capitol Hill publications.
The
effort is against an initiative by a high-tech coalition that wants the feds to approve a prototype device that could transmit high-speed Internet, or broadband, service over an unlicensed and unused
TV spectrum. That group includes titans like Microsoft, Google, Dell and Intel, and says the devices could make Internet access more accessible and affordable--especially in rural areas--while
spurring innovation.
The NAB, with members like Disney and Univision, worries that the widgets could interfere with millions of TV sets. "While our friends at Intel, Google and Microsoft may
find system errors, computer glitches and dropped calls tolerable, broadcasters do not," says NAB Chairman Alan Frank, who is also president of Post-Newsweek Stations. The group says they aren't
against new technology, and do support means of providing broadband service in underserved rural areas.
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