Broadcasters Push White Spaces Alternative

The Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX television networks reiterated to the Federal Communications Commission that it should hold off on voting on a proposal to approve unlicensed, mobile devices in the DTV spectrum band, then told it what it could do with that extra time. Broadcasters suggested a possible path to DTV citizenship for the devices, but only under a series of conditions that would protect broadcast signals, wireless microphones, and cable reception, conditions more stringent than FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing. Those conditions include limiting power levels on the first adjacent channel to 5 milliwatts rather than the FCC's proposed 40 [Fox opposes any adjacent channel uses], a "safe harbor" for wireless microphones, power limits to guard against direct pick-up interference to cable, mandatory geolocation, and disallowing devices that rely only on sensing when spectrum is unused. The geolocation requirement makes it sort of hybrid mobile and fixed service. Broadcasters do not oppose fixed unlicensed devices.