FCC Creates Task Force for Advancing Spectrum Agenda

By Doug Lung
published


FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Monday that the Commission was launching a Spectrum Task Force "to advance the FCC's spectrum agenda and collaboration across the agency." It will be co-chaired by Julius Knapp, chief of the Office of Engineering Technology, and Ruth Milkman, chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.

"The FCC's National Broadband Plan (NBP) lays out a comprehensive road map for promoting greater spectrum efficiency and flexibility, and ensuring sufficient spectrum for broadband,' Genachowski said. "The Spectrum Task Force will keep us on this charted course."

The NBP recommends shifting spectrum from broadcasting to broadband applications. William Lake, Chief of the FCC Media Bureau, will serve on the task force, as will the Chiefs of the Enforcement, International and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureaus. The Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis will also participate in the task force.

Could this be a precursor to the Engineers Forum the chairman announced at NAB?

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.