FCC chairman eyes unused spectrum
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed opening up unused portions of the television airwaves known as “white spaces” to deliver wireless broadband Internet service.
The proposal by FCC chief Kevin J. Martin appeals to public interest groups and many of the nation’s biggest technology companies, including Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp., which hope it will bring affordable high-speed Internet connections to more Americans.
“No one should ever underestimate the potential that new technologies and innovations may bring to society,” Martin said in a statement.
His plan could run into opposition from the nation’s big TV broadcasters, which have argued that the use of fallow spectrum to deliver wireless Internet services could disrupt their over-the-air signals. The National Assn. of Broadcasters had no immediate comment.
Shure Inc., a manufacturer of wireless microphones, has also raised concerns about interference with audio systems at concerts and sporting events.
Martin issued his proposal ahead of the official release of a technical report by FCC engineers concluding that potential interference could be eliminated with the use of wireless transmitter devices that rely on spectrum-sensing and “geo-location” technologies to detect and avoid nearby broadcast signals.
Martin circulated the proposal to his colleagues ahead of a Nov. 4 vote on the plan.
He wants to allow the use of white spaces to provide broadband after the transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting in February, which will free up additional wireless spectrum.
That space could be used to deliver high-speed Internet connections as well as improved communications networks to connect police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders.
Supporters of the plan say the vacant spaces between television channels are particularly suited to providing broadband because they can penetrate walls, carry a great deal of data and reach a wide geographic area.
“Freeing up these powerful airwaves will create a boom in innovative technologies and expand the opportunities for citizens to communicate with one another and the rest of the world,” said Ben Scott, policy director for the advocacy group Free Press.
Scott Blake Harris, counsel to the White Spaces Coalition, added that harnessing white spaces will create a multibillion-dollar market for advanced wireless devices to transmit and receive signals, including laptops, personal digital assistants and set-top boxes. Members of the White Spaces Coalition include Microsoft, Google, Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Phillips Electronics.
Martin’s white spaces proposal is one of several in which he is pushing to use wireless technology to bring affordable broadband to parts of the country that lack high-speed Internet.
