News Report #4

Gates, Microsoft lobby FCC for unlicensed white spaces use

by: IDG News Service

Microsoft is lobbying the FCC this week to allow unlicensed use of "white spaces" of television spectrum for wireless internet services. White spaces are the unused patches of wireless spectrum that lie between television channels. Many major technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, Phillips, Motorola, and several others are lobbying for the FCC to make that unlicensed spectrum available for new wireless broadband networks. Google co-founder, Larry Page, and other supporters have said it would be similar to Wi-Fi networks, but more powerful. One of the major advantages of allowing the unlicensed use of the white spaces is the ability to diminish the digital divide between rural and suburban communities. Because the white space network is more powerful, farm houses in the square states could be connected to broadband internet which could not be achieved by Wi-Fi. These major technology companies say they can and have created devices that can prevent interference with television broadcast. This has been the major argument. The television broadcasters believe the unlicensed use of white spaces for wireless internet services will interfere and become detrimental to the entire broadcasting industry. There have been many test to see if wireless internet use would interfere with broadcasting and what devices would work to prevent interference. Major technology companies say the tests show that it is possible to create devices that prevent the interference of broadcasting, while the broadcasters say just the opposite. The FCC is planning to officially vote on the issue during it's meeting Nov. 4th, 2008.