NAB: 'White Spaces' Database Still Fundamentally Flawed

The National Association of Broadcasters says the Federal Communications Commission's plans for unlicensed devices in the so-called TV "white spaces" remains fundamentally flawed and incapable of working as currently constituted. Back in March, NAB petitioned the FCC to suspend use of the database saying it allowed false and damaging information to be entered into it. NAB concedes that some improvements have been made since, particularly after press attention to the issue, but not nearly enough. That point was made in a presentation by NAB executives to FCC engineering staffers.

"Despite this effort, and despite the fact that the spotlight has never shone more brightly on the database, the database remains fundamentally flawed and incapable of serving its intended function in its current form." The database is supposed to identify channels in use by TV stations and others so that unlicensed devices using those so-called "white spaces" do not cause interference. NAB says the database continues to be riddled with inaccuracies, which signals that the issue will not be resolved until the FCC requires location information to be built in to the unlicensed device.