If ITV had used band 1..

[ppppenguin]

There's a big difference between UK and US band planning. In the UK the aim was nastional coverage as far as possible. In the US the coverage was directed at cities which is where the audience for the advertisers lived. Also in the US most cities are a long way aaprt so it was easier to re-use channels and have multiple channels in each city.

I don't know enough about AUS and NZ band planning to give a sensible opinion.