FCC announces channel-sharing workshop on May 22

Lonna Thompson, c.o.o. of the Association of Public Television Stations, will be a panelist in the FCC’s channel-sharing workshop on May 22. The FCC recently was authorized to conduct spectrum auctions to clear broadcast bandwidth for use by mobile devices; one of the options each station faces is sharing a 6 MHz channel with another broadcaster. The webcast workshop will focus on how broadcasters are approaching the financial and strategic opportunities presented by channel sharing, the FCC said. Thompson and other panelists — John Cunney, head of telecom media technology at Santander Global Banking & Markets; Eric De Silva, partner, Wiley Rein; and John Hane, counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman — will discuss the business and operational challenges and potential solutions faced by broadcasters considering channel sharing. The discussion will be followed by audience questions and comments, which may be submitted via email. The panel will run from 10 a.m. to noon Eastern and may be viewed online here or followed on Twitter using the hashtag #fcclive.