It seems that Google's initiative to push for the general use of the “white spaces” did have an echo, as federal regulators are likley to agree to set an auction for them, despite constant fears and opposition from television broadcasters.
The “white spaces” are in fact slices of unused spectrum in between television channels that were originally intended to prevent radio waves or adjacent channels from interfering with each other. The idea of using them has been around for some time now, but it raised a lot of questions concerning the interference problem.
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce a set of rules for auctioning airwaves for emergency use, such as police, fire and other services, and perhaps take the next step towards regulating the use of the “white spaces.”
Google is just one of the many in the tech world to demand the use of “white spaces,” and perhaps the most ardent one. The company created a website to “free the airwaves” and raised the interest and signatures of thousands of people who've signed a petition to free the airwaves.
“This fall, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will decide whether to make this spectrum available for anyone to use,” Google wrote. “At Google, we think more open access to the white spaces is essential, not only for companies like ours, but for society in general.”
Google recently spoke on the Capitol Hill about the need to use the white spaces, and had something interesting to say about the broadcasters' alleged unfair interference with this summer's testing. According to him, the broadcasters used the same frequency as local television to make it impossible for the test devices to perform well.
“This test was rigged deliberately,” Page said, as quoted by the Washington Post. “That's the kind of thing we've been up against here, and I find it despicable.”
While Google, Microsoft and others maintain the idea that the FCC should approve the use of the “white spaces,” broadcasters presented arguments that the device tests have shown that the use of the white spaces interferes with TV broadcasting.
While Page highlighted the advantages of making the “white spaces” widely available, a move they say would benefit both companies and consumers, broadcasters disagreed.
In May this year, Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters, said Page’s attitude to dismiss the interference concerns is simply “disingenuous,” adding that by giving green light to the use of white spaces, the future of digital television would be jeopardized.
The Federal Communications Commission is still debating over creating an auction for the use of the “white spaces,” however, as Google said, “the outcome is far from certain.”
Google, Microsoft and others are firm believers that the remaining 95 percent of space that is currently not in use could greatly benefit Americans by offering companies such as these the opportunity to offer high speed mobile access to consumers without interfering with the TVs.
