If there ever were a time for the government not to apply a new tax on being a station owner that wanted to retain spectrum in the face of financial pressure from government not to, it’s now.
Now would be as the FCC tries to reclaim as much spectrum from broadcasters as the agency possibly can in an incentive auction that is supposed to be voluntary, and having repeatedly indicated it was not out to force that valuable local service off their spectrum.
Fortunately, the spectrum fee idea surfaces yearly like Punxsutawney Phil, only to go back into hibernation, or wherever groundhogs go, until the next February budget reveal. This version should suffer the same fate.
