The Digital Frontier

[Commentary] Congress has risked irking US couch potatoes by setting an end date for analog TV broadcasts. Why? Because the auction of returned analog TV spectrum will rake in billions and some spectrum could be put to use by emergency workers. Washington should not let the quest for revenue override a more fundamental goal: making affordable high-speed Internet service available to all Americans. If the high bidders in the auctions are affiliated with the local telephone and cable companies that already offer high-speed Internet service, they're not likely to use the airwaves for a cheaper version of broadband. Similarly, the high bidders might be more interested in offering movies to cellphones than a fat pipe to the Web. That's why Washington should leave some of the reclaimed frequencies open to the public without need for lease or license. With the right technologies and rules to guard against interference, these airwaves could not only enable community-based high-speed Internet services, but provide a laboratory for wireless innovation. By opening a few slivers of the spectrum to unlicensed wireless data services in 1986, the FCC made possible an explosion in Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, communication gear and services that continues to this day. The reclaimed analog TV frequencies hold even more promise. Rather than mining every bit for auction revenue, lawmakers should reserve some of the airwaves for whatever services and applications that innovative technologists and community groups can squeeze into them.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-digital23dec23,1,...
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