Fritts: Don’t ‘Saddle’ Us With Spectrum Tax

The NAB’s top man says TV broadcasters should not be saddled with an “unfair spectrum tax.”
“Congress has wisely rejected spectrum taxes on broadcasters for the past several years, because lawmakers recognize the timetable for the transition to digital television will be determined by consumer acceptance and not by arbitrary government dictates,” he said in a statement issued by his office in response to a proposal by President Bush.
“Free, over-the-air broadcasters are doing everything possible to complete the transition to digital, as evidenced by the 733 local stations that have made the switch to DTV. Broadcasters should not be saddled with an unfair spectrum tax, which would ultimately slow the transition to digital and harm consumers who rely on local stations for high-quality news, information and entertainment programming.”