Our thirst for mobile data might trump our desire for local television signals. Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced its long awaited local TV station opening incentive auction bid prices.
There are so many devices, like the smartphone in your pocket, that need lots of signal to quench our thirst for wireless internet. Therefore the FCC wants to use parts of the signals television stations use to broadcast to your TV antenna. And the federal agency is willing to pay up for it with this auction.
So what does this mean for us TV viewers?
As reported in TVNewsCheck, there are three options:
- A station can relinquish its license (and sign off).So for example, KPRC 2 could be paid $294,282,000 to go off the air! KTXH 20 could be paid $284,918,400! Those are some of the higher prices offered in Houston because those two stations have good channel placement.
- A UHF station move to either a high or low VHF channel.
- A high VHF channel can move to low a VHF channel.
No, there is no indication any Houston stations will take the money and run so to speak, but they might take the millions to move channels. Could this be why some TV station groups have been on big buying sprees lately?
Click here to see the full list of opening incentive auction bid prices for Houston, Texas and the rest of the nation.
TV stations have until mid-December to decide if they will participate.
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