Will Congress Scuttle FCC White Space Decision?

The decision by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to open up white space -- the unused frequencies between television channels -- to unlicensed Wi-Fi devices is being hailed by technology companies as the dawning of a new era in broadband Internet access. But the ruling is also being harshly criticized by various trade groups, including the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which argues that both the FCC's procedure and the concept are flawed. "By moving the white-space vote forward," said Dennis Wharton, NAB's executive vice president, "the commission appears to have bypassed meaningful public or peer review in a proceeding of grave importance to the future of television." A statement by NAB suggests that the group may be considering asking Congress to either reverse or substantially alter the FCC's white-space decision. According to NAB, a large number of lawmakers "publicly expressed opposition or concern over the FCC's proposed white-space action."