FCC approves 'white space' for broadband

[metspitzer]

FCC approves 'white space' for broadband
By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY

The Federal Communications Commission, as expected, approved a measure
that would make "white space" spectrum available for wireless
broadband.

White space is industry lingo for the unused airwaves that abut
broadcast TV spectrum, providing a buffer zone from stray signals and
other inferference. The buffer zone was set up more than 50 years ago
when TV was first invented.

The FCC's white-space plan was initially proposed four years ago. More
than 25,000 comments — from supporters as well as critics — were
submitted.

Under the FCC's plan, white space spectrum will be unlicensed and free
— like Wi-Fi — to anybody who wants to use it. In some markets,
there's enough white space to fill a half dozen TV channels.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin says consumer are the biggest winners. The
white-space plan "is a significant victory for consumers," he told USA
TODAY. "The abilty to have Wi-Fi like connectivity, at faster speeds
and greater range" will help further deployment of broadband across
the USA.

Supporters cheered the move. "This spectrum should become fertile
ground for innovation, potentially offering consumers and companies an
unlimited variety of applications, devices, networks and more," the
Information Technology Association said in a prepared statement. Tech
giant Motorola agreed. By allowing the use of white-space spectrum,
"the FCC is advancing access to broadband services, especially in
rural areas where broadband is more limited," Motorola said in a
prepared statement. Other supporters include IBM, HP and Dell.

Broadcasters opposed the plan. Their basic beef: white space devices —
which don't yet exist — might introduce interference into TV signals.
Sports leagues, Broadway theatre owners and others that rely on
wireless microphones, which use the same airwaves, also opposed the
plan.

To guard against inferference, the FCC adopted a number of safeguards.
Example: In major markets, you won't be able to use white-space
devices near TV broadcast locations or big entertainment venues such
as Madison Square Garden. Others can ask the FCC for similar "safe
zone" treatment.

The FCC also opened an inquiry into cable TV pricing Monday.
Specifically, the agency is investigating how much cable TV operators
plan to charge consumers once the nation moves from analog to
all-digital broadcast TV. The move, which will impact millions of TV
viewers across the USA, takes place next February.

According to Martin, consumers have lately been flooding the FCC with
complaints about the post-transition plans of cable TV operators.
"There's a lot of consumer confusion," he says. The agency's concern,
he says, is that cable TV operators will try to use the transition to
force customers to "spend the same amount of money to get less"
programming once the transition takes place, "or more money to get the
same" amount of programming. Either way, he says, consumers wind up
losing. The FCC doesn't regulate cable TV prices, per se. But under
its mandate from Congress, the agency has broad latitude to look out
for the interests of consumers — including cable TV customers.

As part of the inquiry, the FCC sent a letter yesterday to a number of
cable companies, including Time Warner, Comcast and Verizon, seeking
information about their post-transition pricing plans. Consumer's
Union, one of the largest consumer advocacy groups in the USA, wrote a
letter to the U.S. Senate last month asking for such a review, Martin
noted.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008-11-04-white-space_N.htm

I bet this doesn't mean free Wi-Fi or wireless in places where
broadband is not available.

I sure wish it did.

 

[[email protected]]

| FCC Chairman Kevin Martin says consumer are the biggest winners. The
| white-space plan "is a significant victory for consumers," he told USA
| TODAY. "The abilty to have Wi-Fi like connectivity, at faster speeds
| and greater range" will help further deployment of broadband across
| the USA.
|
| Supporters cheered the move. "This spectrum should become fertile
| ground for innovation, potentially offering consumers and companies an
| unlimited variety of applications, devices, networks and more," the
| Information Technology Association said in a prepared statement. Tech
| giant Motorola agreed. By allowing the use of white-space spectrum,
| "the FCC is advancing access to broadband services, especially in
| rural areas where broadband is more limited," Motorola said in a
| prepared statement. Other supporters include IBM, HP and Dell.
|
| Broadcasters opposed the plan. Their basic beef: white space devices ?
| which don't yet exist ? might introduce interference into TV signals.
| Sports leagues, Broadway theatre owners and others that rely on
| wireless microphones, which use the same airwaves, also opposed the
| plan.
|
| To guard against inferference, the FCC adopted a number of safeguards.
| Example: In major markets, you won't be able to use white-space
| devices near TV broadcast locations or big entertainment venues such
| as Madison Square Garden. Others can ask the FCC for similar "safe
| zone" treatment.

And they somehow think consumers, the end users of such devices, are going
to avoid using them in these "safe zone" areas?


| The FCC also opened an inquiry into cable TV pricing Monday.
| Specifically, the agency is investigating how much cable TV operators
| plan to charge consumers once the nation moves from analog to
| all-digital broadcast TV. The move, which will impact millions of TV
| viewers across the USA, takes place next February.

They will, of course, milk the confusion for all they can. They will even
add to the confusion, which is easy because so many of the people that work
for these cable TV operators are themselves confused. More than one person
who works for Comcast has told me that digital channels are now numbered
above 200 and a digital-ready TV can only tune as high as 69 for over the
air and 125 for cable. So even if I have a digital TV, I have to subscribe
to cable to get the channels above 200. I managed to dig out of one of them
that this is what they were told in training classes.


| According to Martin, consumers have lately been flooding the FCC with
| complaints about the post-transition plans of cable TV operators.
| "There's a lot of consumer confusion," he says. The agency's concern,
| he says, is that cable TV operators will try to use the transition to
| force customers to "spend the same amount of money to get less"
| programming once the transition takes place, "or more money to get the
| same" amount of programming. Either way, he says, consumers wind up
| losing. The FCC doesn't regulate cable TV prices, per se. But under
| its mandate from Congress, the agency has broad latitude to look out
| for the interests of consumers ? including cable TV customers.
|
| As part of the inquiry, the FCC sent a letter yesterday to a number of
| cable companies, including Time Warner, Comcast and Verizon, seeking
| information about their post-transition pricing plans. Consumer's
| Union, one of the largest consumer advocacy groups in the USA, wrote a
| letter to the U.S. Senate last month asking for such a review, Martin
| noted.
|
| http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008-11-04-white-space_N.htm
|
| I bet this doesn't mean free Wi-Fi or wireless in places where
| broadband is not available.

There's only one long term viable solution that makes everyone a winner.

That solution is to have a neutrally-owned/operated fiber-direct-to-customer
infrastructure which can then be "rented" by the information/content/data
provider(s) of the termination point customer's choosing, but it cable TV,
telephone, internet, something new and innovative, or any combination. That
would be a fiber, or better yet, 2 to 4 separate fibers, running between each
home and business, to the central connection point for each area where the
providers can then host equipment to provide their service, and be patched in
to the customers they serve.