Kathrein Supports Broadcasters with Solutions for FCC Repack 

With the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadcast television spectrum incentive auction wrapping up, the challenges facing the North American Broadcasters to transition to new channels in the allotted time frame are significant.

The voluntary, market-based auction — made available to the nation’s nearly 1,800 broadcast stations, provided broadcasters with an opportunity to sell their spectrum and go off air, share a channel with another broadcaster, or move to a different frequency.

After the auction, between 800 and 1,200 broadcasters will need to be repacked; meaning assigned a different frequency. With the move in frequency, broadcast stations will need new equipment such as transmitters, filters, and antennas to transmit different frequencies. The federal government is incentivizing displaced broadcasters with $1.75 billion in funding to upgrade station infrastructures