Conclude the TV White Spaces Proceeding

On Sept 23, 2010, the FCC adopted changes to rules in four areas:

1) Protection Criteria for Incumbent Services

• Modifying the protection criteria for low power auxiliary stations such as wireless microphones to reduce the required separation between such devices and unlicensed personal/portable devices operating in Mode II.
• Modifying the definition of the receive sites entitled to protection outside of a television station’s service area to include all multi-channel video programming distributors as defined by our rules.
• Reserving two vacant UHF channels for wireless microphones and other low power auxiliary service devices in all areas of the country.
• Allowing operators of event and production/show venues that use large numbers of wireless microphones on an unlicensed basis that cannot be accommodated in the two reserved channels and any others available at that location to register the sites of those venues on TV bands databases to receive the same geographic spacing protections afforded licensed wireless microphones.
• Restricting fixed TV bands devices from operating on locations where the ground level is more than 76 meters above the average terrain level in the area.

2) TV Bands Devices

• Eliminating the requirement that TV bands devices that incorporate geo-location and database access must also listen (sense) to detect the signals of TV stations and low power auxiliary service stations (wireless microphones). As part of that change we are also revising and amending the rules in several aspects to reflect use of that method as the only means for determining channel availability. While we are eliminating the sensing requirement for TVBDs, we are encouraging continued development of this capability because we believe it holds promise to further improvements in spectrum efficiency in the TV spectrum in the future and will be a vital tool for providing opportunistic access to other spectrum bands..
• Adopting power spectral density limits for unlicensed TV bands devices.
• Modifying the rules governing measurement of adjacent channel emissions.
• Restricting fixed TV bands devices from operating at locations where the height above average terrain of the ground level is greater than 76 meters.

3) TV Bands Database

• Requiring that communications between TV bands devices and TV bands databases, and between multiple databases, are secure.
• Requiring that all information that is required by the Commission’s rules to be in the TV bands databases be publicly available.

4) Use of TV Channels

• Amending the rules to protect Canadian and Mexican stations in the border areas by including those stations in the TV bands database as protected services.
• Changing the protection zone for the radio astronomy facility near Socorro, New Mexico to a rectangular area.
• Declining to grant a request by FiberTower to set aside TV channels for fixed licensed backhaul use.

Read the Order