Maintaining a Spotlight on TV White Spaces Progress

Speaking at the TV White Spaces Summit on June 15, Federal Communications Commission member Meredith Attwell Baker focused on innovative wireless technologies that enable new approaches to spectrum.

She noted a number of reasons to move forward quickly on the FCC's proceeding on white spaces: 1) work on this predates our 2004 proceeding, 2) inaction has left innovators and manufacturers without sufficient, reliable guidance, and 3) although the US once took a lead in this area, other countries are now poised to move first.

She highlighted three areas for action: First, to finalize the plans for the TV bands and provide the direction that industry needs to plan for the future. Second, encourage the further development of spectrum sensing technology and establish the testing procedures for the "proof of performance" standard for such devices. Third, start with a spectrum inventory that produces an innovative, interactive and user-friendly data base that will not only serve the TV white spaces but also other spectrum bands, including government spectrum.