US: Cable, auto industries feud for spectrum

As Comcast remains at the top of the headlines for its recently announced plans of acquiring Time Warner Cable, the nation’s top cable company is facing a new dilemma, this time in the auto industry.

Reports say Comcast is rivaling General Motors to acquire crucial radio waves that could either be used for Web data wi-fi or for communications technology in high-technology cars.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced earlier this month that legislation for “talking” cars will be written before the end of President Obama’s term. That announcement, say reports, sparked a rivalry between the cable and auto industries; General Motors says the spectrum that can be used for life-saving car communications technology should take precedence over expanded wireless and web data services.

But Comcast, along with other technology giants like Google and Microsoft, claim such technology is a long-shot this early, and are now pushing for the Federal Communications Commission to allow the tech firms access to the spectrum.

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