I was curious why the TV and radio boards of the National Association of Broadcasters recently chose to oppose re-purposing TV Channels 5 and 6 for FM use after television stations transition to digital.
An NAB spokesman told me that some nine TV stations will still be using those channels after next February and the boards felt it was important to protect those stations.
Other sources close to the issue say given the complexities of the DTV transition, NAB probably just wants to get through that and perhaps the issue could be revisited in the future.
The FCC is considering two petitions calling for re-purposing those channels for FM to alleviate over-crowding and make more efficient use of the spectrum. That gets the attention of FM believers, particularly those in the noncom camp who see such a move as a natural expansion of their part of the band.
