Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1955)

dual responsibility was recognized as early as 1922, when the then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover called for formation of the Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee to provide a roundtable for voluntary give-and-take between government agencies on their frequency problems. IRAC continues to function today under the Office of Defense Mobilization stewardship and budget. Below the special Cabinet committee level last week there appeared little indication that any major reshuffling of the spectrum might be underway. Under the National Security Act the ODM Director, Arthur S. Flemming, is coordinator of telecommunications within the executive branch of the government. The assignment comes within the scope of Assistant Director Harold M. Botkin. Mr. Botkin also is chairman of the Telecommunications Planning Committee (TPC). Wartime management of telecommunications, technical inquiries and security come under this group. TPC is making an inventory of all non-government facilities in overseas radio and wire communications and facilities under government control. This is to serve as the basis for an interim allocation plan covering overseas communication, to be followed by a more permanent allocation plan based on a full inventory of government facilities. On Tuesday, the Justice Dept. was authorized to have a representative on TPC. Another project is development of an emergency control plan for telecommunication. Standby orders will permit planning by government agencies for any actual emergency, along with execution of the plans. A priority list for restoration after a state of emergency will be set up later. New types of communication also are being studied on a classified basis. IRAC, which includes members from nine government agencies using large chunks of the spectrum, reports to Mr. Botkin in its particular planning. The IRAC chairman is William Plummer. IRAC's three-fold job is to draw up and recommend policies, plans and actions covering use of radio frequencies by government agencies; to draw up plans in cooperation with We dissent. In our opinion this Notice of Proposed Rule Making, attempting to alleviate the congestion of channel occupancy in the nongovernment land-mobile radio services by reducing channel spacing, may serve merely to complicate further some basic problems with which we are confronted today. These problems stem principally from the fact that our present frequency allocation in these ranges provides for the intermixture of various government and various non-government services without a sufficient weighing of the relative overall public interest considerations for occupancy of these ranges of the spectrum. For example, as a result of the above-mentioned intermixture, we are compelled today to have a four-band television allocation (two lower vhf bands, upper vhf and uhf) located in widely separated portions of the spectrum. Consequently, it is fast becoming impossible to achieve a nationwide competitive television service, since the technical and economic obstacles faced by uhf under present television allocations are making it extremely difficult for uhf to compete effectively. A further example of the problems created is the inefficient utilization of valuable portions of the spectrum brought about as a result of insufficient evaluation of the requirements on a long term basis of the various services. Thus, the -76 mc band, which lies between Channels 4 and i in television, has, in effect, been limited in its ture efficient utilization. It is too narrow for elevision and, because of the susceptibility of Page 32 • January 17, 1955 FCC for war mobilization, covering the entire use of frequencies in the U. S., and to carry out treaty provisions at request of the State Dept., working with FCC. IRAC already has submitted to President Eisenhower a proposed executive order assigning frequencies to government radio stations, the first complete assignment since 1928. It was made possible by a new machine record technique. In conjunction with FCC's records of assignment to non-government stations, a complete record of all assignments in the U. S. and its possessions is provided. IRAC's war emergency allocation below 27.5 mc was completed for parts of this segment in 1953. A list of non-government assignments, which could be suspended under Sec. 606 of the Communications Act in case of mobilization, is being kept up-to-date. Some preliminary work has been done between 27.5 and 108 mc, it was indicated, based on war requirements of all federal agencies. A list of war requirements up to 400 mc also has been prepared for allocation studies, it was said. Last Aug. 25 the President named a Cabinet Committee on Telecommunications Policy & Organization, with Director Flemming as chairman. Other members named were Secretaries of State and Defense. This is the group which is to develop a comprehensive statement of national telecommunications problems and submit recommendations designed to meet government objectives in public and private operations. It is to suggest organizational changes in the government to carry out telecommunications policies and action programs. One official source assured B«T there is nothing taking place at this time that is likely to upset the commercial telecasting industry. "No lid is about to blow off and no fuse is burning," according to this source. The frequency allocation problem was described as worldwide and full of interlocking snarls. The whole frequency spectrum is constantly under review, according to this source, which explained that civilian and military advocates constantly are "needling and jibing" in an effort to get space for desired services. "The government would much rather try to television receivers to interference, it will be severely limited for other uses. A further complication may be created in connection with even the "temporary expedient" here proposed. This action is merely a further commitment of this portion of the spectrum to the land-mobile services — insufficient, in our opinion, to accommodate their rapid growth for any substantial period of time. It is contemplated that considerable expenditures may be required for the acquisition of the necessary equipment to operate on these narrower channels. The proposal permits the amortization of existing equipment over a period of years. Therefore, it becomes apparent that attempts in the future to effect an overall reallocation will be faced with an obstacle of increased magnitude. The solution to these problems, as we see it, lies in a general allocation proceeding, including the consideration of data as to government channel occupancy not now available to the Commission in its regular proceedings, which would have as its objective a sound, efficient, and equitable allocation of frequencies as between government and non-government services. Such a proceeding as envisaged here would require the cooperation and support of the Executive Branch and the Congress. In this manner we may hope for an orderly and just evaluation and resolution of the present need for and occupancy of the spectrum. Following such a proceeding, the rule making here proposed would be more appropriate for enhancing efficient utilization of the spectrum and providing for growth and expansion of the various services. COMR. WEBSTER MR. PORTER move the Capitol and all federal buildings from.! Washington to an inland city than start upsetting J commercial television development," the source I explained, adding: "Unless, of course, some1 one can figure out a plan that won't obsolete I present tv receivers." Another source, however, affirmed reportsj that the military is casting eager eyes at the 50-100 mc area, particularly for air-ground I communication in fleet units. This band is dej scribed as especially suitable for such com i munication.' It is the heart of the present vhf tv band, embracing chs. 2-6. Billions Involved The experts pointed out that any radical j upset in the commercial tv portion of the-l spectrum would involve billions of dollars in I rebuilding receiving sets and transmitting equipment. Assuming a 40-million set count at such J a time, possibly half of all receivers would have ; to be junked. This would mean a loss of $4 billion, figuring $200 a set. If tuner replacement and antenna adjustments could be made for $100, the conversion cost to the public for 1 20 million sets would be another $2 billion. Comr. Bartley last summer told the Senate Commerce subcommittee chairmanned by Sen. Charles E. Potter (R-Mich.) that tv's only chance for a national competitive system lies in a vhf-only system. He urged an ad hoc commission to study the overall problem, including i military vhf spectrum uses, and report back to Congress [B«T, July 12, 1954, et seq.]. At the same time, Comr. Webster told the subcommittee the government frequency usage 1 and practices would be a proper area of inquiry. It has been suggested that Comr. Web ,1 ster did not join last week with Comrs. Bartle\ and Lee in their dissent to the mobile radio proposal since he is vice chairman of the ODM Telecommunications Planning Committee p" and it would be premature for him to express himself on broad policy considerations now under study at the higher level. As early as September 1953 Comr. Webster, speaking at Sun Valley before the 14th District j meeting of the NARTB, warned broadcasters of the threat to fm as non-broadcast services expanded and needed more frequencies. He urged them to make fuller use of fm services to protect their rights in that band. President Truman in early 1950 initiated a coordinated approach to solving the allocation j tangle when he named a temporary Communications Policy Board under the chairmanship of Dr. Irvin S. Stewart, onetime FCC Commissioner and now president of the U. of West Virginia. In early 1951. after intense study, the board made a detailed report on all facets of telecommunication development, the growth problems and policy requirements. The board recommended establishment of a permanent three-man telecommunications advisory board in the Executive Office to recommend broad national policy to be implemented through IRAC and a strengthened FCC. A last alternative suggested was the creation Broadcasting • Telecasting BARTLEY-LEE DISSENT TO MOBILE RADIO PROPOSAL