Catholic television licensees hailed a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission June 10 to retain existing eligibility rules for the educational airwave spectrum. Lobbying efforts by wireless companies to be able to purchase leases from schools would have effectively ended educational television, warned educators.

"It's really an incredible victory," said David Moore, director of the Office of Telecommunications for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. "Education will not have to compete with industry for either licensing or for new applications. The bottom line is that the band has not been reallocated to commercial interests."

Private and public schools and colleges will retain exclusive licensing of the portion of the radio wave spectrum known as the Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS). Schools still can lease significant unused portions of the spectrum to commercial entities. Moore said those businesses also could assist schools to develop the spectrum.

"We will partner in the future with communications companies to build a private network for our schools and parishes which hopefully will include high speed wireless broadband Internet access and telephone services," added Moore.

In Los Angeles, instructional programming is provided to more than 50,000 students in some 130 Catholic schools. The Catholic Television Network --- which Moore said took the lead among educational institutions to persuade the FCC to retain existing eligibility rules --- serves about 600,000 elementary and secondary school students across the country.

FCC commission member Michael Copps commended the decision by the FCC not to allow the sale of educational licenses.

"The best ITFS licensees provide an example of how the public's spectrum can truly be used to serve the public interest," said Copps. "Children are educated. Distance learning is enabled. Rural access becomes a reality."

The FCC did approve the plan to reconfigure part of the airwave spectrum to facilitate wireless-mobile broadband and reduce the amount of interference between educational and commercial uses.