NYC Considers White Spaces

The New York City Council is considering a resolution opposing the Federal Communications Commission's authorization of mobile unlicensed devices in the so-called white spaces between digital-TV channels. The resolution would not carry the force of law, but would simply let the FCC know how the council felt about the issue. Free Press Campaign Director Timothy Karr argued against the resolution. He said that the devices can be made to work without interfering. He called it a developing technology that "can and will meet acceptable and certifiable standards of non-interference." That squares with the general feelings expressed by FCC commissioners, who see the devices as a way to expand wireless broadband to unserved areas and more efficiently use spectrum, both of which are government priorities. But they have also said that they need assurances of that noninterference. Karr sees the debate as one of haves vs. have nots. "The white spaces issue pits those who have access to spectrum, and want to keep it for themselves, against those who don't, and want spectrum to be used to serve other purposes as well." Karr argues that there will be 10 vacant channels in New York City after the DTV transition, or 20% of the band "sitting idle," which he called a lot of airspace that could be put to good use. "This resolution is not only unnecessary, but also a step in the wrong direction," he said.