Important technical issues about TV spectrum and broadband are to be discussed by experts, so the SBE is surprised it wasn’t invited to participate. SBE President Vincent Lopez says it’s “the one organization chartered to represent the interests of broadcast engineers.” When the Commission announced its series of workshops earlier this month, the SBE was told that “forum participants were [already] lined up”, and no more would be added. The four topics up for discussion include “methodologies for re-packing the TV band” after a proposed buyback of some TV spectrum, to clear the way for wider access to broadband. Lopez says “worse, the Commission is not even making public the working group sessions, but only…reporting on conclusions of the working groups.” He says that goes against the “transparency” that President Obama promised and that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski “specifically promised.” The SBE wants next Friday’s forum to either be opened up to public participation, or postponed and “re-constituted.“ The Radio Pros “Engineering” Board of Radio-Info.com has a copy of the Lopez letter, here.