National Association of Broadcasters on TV White Spaces: No More Microsoft Hand-Outs for 'Failing Experiment'

The National Association of Broadcasters took the gloves off in a recent meeting with Federal Communications Commission engineering staffers over TV white spaces (TVWS) -- the use of small slices of spectrum set aside for broadcasting for unlicensed uses like wireless broadband -- calling it a failing experiment. Microsoft has been pushing the FCC to allow unlicensed devices operating in the TV band to do so closer to existing TV channels, but NAB told the engineering staffers that Microsoft's proposal on how to determine if a channel is available for unlicensed use is disingenuous and in service of white spaces deployments whose success has been "grossly exaggerated." NAB execs said that Microsoft has failed to demonstrate that its proposal will not create potentially harmful interference, referencing a limited test with a professional-grade receiver, limited testing NAB calls Microsoft's reliance on "disingenuous."