Bush Campaign Contribution Won't Affect Lobbying Under Trump, NAB's Smith Says
NAB CEO Gordon Smith's contributions to the presidential campaign of former Republican primary candidate Jeb Bush won't be an issue in his lobbying efforts on behalf of NAB during the Trump administration, Smith told us during the Q&A portion of his address to the Media Institute Tuesday. "I hope not, no," Smith said, adding that he has friends on both sides of the aisle, a long-standing relationship with the Bush family and pointing out that Bush's campaign ended long ago. "Jeb didn't last long," Smith said. "I think we're in a new phase now." Along with the election results, Smith discussed the post-incentive auction repacking, ATSC 3.0 and FM chips in smart phones.
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Smith said he knew there was "a great deal of anxiety" about the result of the presidential race, and praised the Founding Fathers for creating a government "architecture" that is intentionally slow moving and difficult to shift "so no one can be quick to impede our freedom." Many "are still adjusting to a dramatically changed landscape," Smith said. "Our issues do not register Republican or Democrat, but rather, reflect the needs of the communities we serve." Smith said there was a great deal of "regulatory underbrush" NAB would like to see rolled back under a Republican administration, especially media ownership rules that he said date to the I Love Lucy era. "The competitive environment for local broadcasting has changed and regulatory reform is desperately needed," Smith said. NAB and others took the FCC to court over the latest version of ownership rules (see 1611140046).
The uncertainty of the incentive auction makes it impossible for broadcasters to gauge if the current amount of time and money allotted for the repacking will be sufficient, Smith said. When the clearing target was still on the higher end of the FCC's choices, broadcasters could be more confident that the 39-month deadline and $1.75 billion reimbursement fund were unlikely to cover it, he said. As the auction clearing targets descend each phase, the scope of the repacking shrinks, leaving the final requirements for broadcasters uncertain, Smith said. "We believe that policymakers will ensure there is sufficient time and funds available to allow broadcasters to complete their moves," Smith said. "It's a huge task."
The FCC needs to approve the transition plan to ATSC 3.0 to allow broadcasters to keep pace with other media services, Smith said. The FCC has taken "action after action where the agency has done whatever it can to help other industries lead the world in their respective services," Smith said. "We urge the FCC to move just as quickly to unleash the next generation of free broadcast television service to the benefit of viewers."
The NAB chief commended the carriers that allow consumers access to FM chips in their smart phones -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. "And we urge Apple to do the same," Smith said: Carriers that allow access to the FM chip recognize its value "especially in times of emergency, when cellphone networks are not as reliable."
Local TV news is often a more reliable source of information than news found on the internet, Smith said. "In this digital world, it is very easy for the average American to find information that confirms their beliefs rather than challenges them." Broadcasters provide the public with facts, Smith said.