Legal Battle Looms to Save Local Television Programming for Millions of Americans Nationwide

Legal Battle Looms to Save Local Television Programming for Millions of Americans Nationwide

Pending Spectrum Auction would leave large portions of the population without programming

CHULA VISTA, Calif., Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In what is being called a real-life 'David versus Goliath' battle for survival, low power television stations nationwide are facing an involuntary sale of their broadcast bandwidth spectrum by Congress and the FCC in order to expand capacity for large companies like ATT, Verizon, Sprint and others. According to the FCC, the incentive Spectrum auction will commence on March 29, 2016.

At issue is the federal government's sale of broadcast bandwidth that more than 10,000 low power television stations around the nation use each and every day to serve the needs of Americans for television and emergency services. According to the Low Power Television Coalition (http://www.lptvcoalition.com) the bandwidth being taken from the nation's low power television system is scheduled to be auctioned off for an estimated $ 85 billion dollars and given to fortune 500 companies.

"This is really nothing more than an old fashioned 'shake-down' but instead of a bully on the street, it's essentially a bunch of bullies in Congress helping billion dollar companies," says low power television station KSDY owner/operators Maxwell C. Agha and Michelle Diaz Agha. "We have something the FCC and Congress wants, and they are just going to take it away - regardless of the fact that it will hurt Americans everywhere, who rely on low power television stations for specific and important programming and emergency communications."

As pointed out by station owner/operators like Agha/Diaz, the confusing part of the bandwidth seizure is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) knows how vital the network of low power stations is for much of rural America yet appears to be disregarding it. At this year's 'Save LPTV' meeting in April, FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake said in a speech to the attendees, "Your stations are a source of diverse and very local programming. You serve rural and sometimes highly remote locations. And in many instances you provide network and PBS programming to viewers who otherwise could not receive it."

"This is something that Congress needs to reconsider doing," added Maxwell Agha. "Public airwaves belong to the public and not to big business."

About KSDY50

KSDY TV. (http://www.ksdy50.com) is an independently owned low power television station licensed to San Diego County. The television station serves the underserved community in San Diego County and Baja California, and utilizes its' spectrum by broadcasting four channels. KSDY is owned by the International Communications Network inc., and supports the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition.

Public Relations Contact
Joe Lizura
858-829-4251

SOURCE International Communications Network, Inc.

International Communications Network, Inc.


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