Why We Need White Space Broadband

[Commentary] White-space wireless promises to fix one of rural America's big problems: a lack of broadband connectivity. Because it takes a lot of money to run miles of wires, plenty of people in rural areas are stuck with slow dial-up or unreliable satellite connections. Most exciting is the possibility that white-space wireless might be unlicensed: It might be open to anyone who can build a qualifying device­not just to one big company that can buy up the rights. Unlicensed spectrum creates low prices, competition, and innovation­just look at Wi-Fi. The FCC already has approved white-space broadband for "fixed" devices like home modems; now it's debating "mobile" devices like phones and laptop air cards. Yes, we need to make sure that white space doesn't interfere with TV, our precious, precious TV. But we need to keep up pressure on our Members of Congress and the government to tell them we want unlicensed white-space access. Everyone deserves the Internet.