White-space spectrum debate rages
WHITE-SPACE SPECTRUM DEBATE RAGES
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Technology companies are putting pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to open up unused wireless spectrum between TV channels for use with unlicensed devices, but the TV broadcasters say there are still too many interference issues. On their own, these slivers of wireless spectrum are not sufficient to provide enough capacity for companies to build wireless broadband services that truly compete against high-bandwidth services offered by the cable and phone companies. But combined with other pieces of spectrum, like Wi-Fi, this spectrum could provide enough capacity to deliver competitive services. "The 700MHz spectrum is not enough to compete against a service like Verizon's Fios," said Harold Feld, senior vice president of public-interest nonprofit Media Access Project, in reference to Verizon Communications' high-capacity network featuring fiber-optic connections to the home. "It's only 62MHz of spectrum. So you're going to need a lot more. That's why it's important to provide access to licensed as well as unlicensed spectrum." "We didn't get the open access that we wanted on the 700MHz auction," Feld said. "So it makes it that much more important that new providers can access white-space spectrum." "If there was ironclad proof that no person in America would lose access to over-the-air TV signals, then maybe we wouldn't have a problem with the introduction of unlicensed portable devices," he said. "But engineering studies and folks that we have talked to say the likelihood of developing a product that wouldn't interfere with TV broadcasts in large markets is nil."
http://news.com.com/White-space+spectrum+debate+rages/2100-1034_3-620275...
THE WHITE OPEN SPACES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Coveted bits of the radio spectrum called "white spaces" -- unused areas of spectrum wedged between licensed TV channels -- may soon be freed up by the Federal Communications Commission. Right now no broadband devices are allowed to use these parts of the spectrum, but the FCC is considering whether to let companies sell FCC-certified wireless devices that would be used without an exclusive broadcast license in these slivers of bandwidth. Such white-space devices (WSDs) would be low-power and so would emit signals over very small geographic areas. Certainly the FCC shouldn't approve WSDs that will obliterate TV. But just because these prototypes fell short doesn't mean the technology can never work. Given the good that could come out of using this unoccupied bandwidth, the FCC should continue to encourage WSD research and development.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR200708...
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