FCC defends plan to take spectrum from broadcasters

A top Federal Communications Commission official Tuesday defended a proposal to take airwaves away from broadcasters and use them to expand the availability of wireless broadband, a proposal that's pitting broadcasters against big wireless operators. "It is a bit of a mystery to me why we can't explore the idea that broadcasters might want to sell their spectrum and that we have to close that dialogue down," said Blair Levin, an FCC official heading up the agency's efforts to write a National Broadband Plan. He spoke at a panel discussion Tuesday morning sponsored by the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a free market think tank.

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