Filed under: Wireless

In a series of events that’s becoming all too reminiscent of the National Association of Broadcasters’ attempts to stifle the XM / Sirius merger, the FCC now says that it is considering the NAB’s recent last-minute request to delay the forthcoming November 4 vote on authorizing unlicensed white space devices (or WSDs). According to Ars Technica, however, while the FCC is considering the proposal, it’s hardly enthused about it, with agency spokesperson Rob Kenny saying that it is “important to note that this proceeding has been open for several years and recently included multiple rounds of testing in the lab and field, which were open to the public and provided all interested parties with ample opportunities to comment and provide input.” For its part, the NAB and a consortium of other broadcasters say that the FCC is relying on a “a flawed reading of the OET test results,” and that if the vote passses, “WSDs will be let into the broadcast band without the protections that are necessary to prevent widespread interference to television and cable reception.” As you might expect, the FCC hasn’t yet tipped its hand as to when it might rule on the NAB’s request, but if it does get its way, the vote would be delayed 70 days for a public comment cycle, or conceivably longer if the NAB finds another wrench to throw into the works.

[Via CNET News]

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Filed under: Wireless

We knew they didn’t like it, and now they’re going out of their way to prove it. After FCC chairman Kevin Martin set forth a proposal to use the freed spectrum from the forthcoming 2009 digital TV transition for bringing mobile broadband to more locales, broadcasters who’d rather not deal with the trouble are stepping in with a collective “nuh uh!” Station owners and the four television networks filed an “emergency request” on Friday afternoon in hopes of convincing the FCC to hold off on its plan to vote on white space rules until “everyone had a chance to comment on the findings.” The report that’s mentioned found that no significant interference would come into play should the waves be opened up for unlicensed devices, but a spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters stated that “the FCC is misinterpreting the actual data collected by their own engineers.” Whether or not NAB will get the 45-day grace period it’s asking for, however, remains to be seen.

[Via Mobile Tech Today, image courtesy of Orbitcast]

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Filed under: Wireless

Good news, folks — Kevin Martin believes that more mobile broadband is good for this nation. And we’re all about getting the WiFi to the people. Just as expected, the FCC chairman has voiced his support for using vacant airwaves from the looming 2009 digital TV transition to bring mobile broadband to more areas. According to Martin: “No one should ever underestimate the potential that new technologies and innovations may bring to society.” His proposal was issued ahead of an official report asserting that potential interference with existing infrastructure could be avoided if “technical safeguards” were put in place to prevent it. Sounds good from here, now go ‘head with your bad self, Mr. Martin.

[Image courtesy of TechLuver]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

The back-and-forth between mainstream carriers and external mega-corps may finally be coming to an end, with the almighty FCC expected to make a pivotal determination regarding the use of white space in short order. For those unaware, white space refers to the freed spectrum that will become available when broadcasters move completely to digital TV next February, and there’s been a heated debate between carriers (who typically “fear” unwanted interference by unlicensed use) and tech companies like Google who see this as a great opportunity to bring wireless services to rural areas (for instance). According to a new report from Reuters, the FCC is expected to weigh in at any moment, and it’ll “likely” recommend the unlicensed use of the spectrum. The advice will be based on reports generated from years of data collection, but we’re all stuck waiting in tense anticipation until it’s released. Anytime now, FCC…

[Via phonescoop]

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Filed under: Wireless

Whitespace internet has long had heavyweight industry backing from the likes of Dell, Microsoft, and Motorola, and while those companies and several others have been lobbying Congress and the FCC through staidly named groups like the Wireless Innovation Alliance and the White Space Coalition, it looks like Google is sick of the red tape — it’s launching a petition drive aimed squarely at consumers called “Free the Airwaves.” Yep, Google’s cribbing its whitespace marketing from Pump Up the Volume — and while that’s certainly enough to convince us, we’ve got a feeling it’s not going to sway anyone else’s opinion until this semi-vaporware tech is actually demonstrated working outside of an FCC lab. Put up or shut up, El Goog — or at least play a Descendents song or two.

[Thanks, Zoli]

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Filed under: Wireless

Motorola is claiming success in the latest round of FCC white space device testing, countering Microsoft’s numerous failed attempts. “It worked as well as we said it would,” said Motorola’s Steve Sharkey. So there. Motorola’s device is mostly based on its geolocation capabilities, which in addition to its “sensing” tech allow it to know where which spectrum is being used by digital TV in that particular area and avoid it proactively. Sharkey calls the tech “absolute, solid protection,” which should make members of the white space coalition happy — though we haven’t heard positive word from Philips, Adaptrum and InfoComm yet, who were also testing devices alongside Motorola, but aren’t using the geolocation technology. That, and the FCC has the final word on all of this, so we’ll just have to wait for that word from on high before we start riotous, interference free partying in the streets.

[Via dailywireless.org]

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Filed under: Wireless, Networking

The stumbling blocks keep piling up as the white space networking struggles to get off the ground: it looks like the manufacturers of healthcare equipment are set to join NAB in opposing the technology. Wireless medical telemetry devices like heart monitors have been operating in broadcast white spaces since the late 80s, and manufacturers like GE Healthcare say that the Microsoft- and Google-backed white space networking initiative could potentially “directly interfere” and “prevent patient monitoring.” For its part, the FCC has set aside all of channel 37 for medical telemetry devices in 1998 after interference from a nearby TV station shut down the system at Baylor University Medical Center, but it wasn’t mandatory, and hospitals that haven’t made the switch could face millions of dollars in upgrade costs. That’s not say that medical telemetry concerns are a problem that can’t be solved — the new Google push includes a channel 37 exception, for example, and there are some other compromise solutions on the table — but it’s seems like there’s no end of issues for a technology that hasn’t really even been demonstrated working yet.

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Filed under: Wireless

Although several other companies have submitted white space devices to the FCC — we know Philips has one in, and Google’s making a lot of noise about new and improved reference designs — it looks like Microsoft’s run of bad luck with the tech continues, with yet another white space transceiver unexpectedly failing during FCC tests last week. There’s no word on if the latest unit failed for the same power-related reasons as the previous test devices, but Microsoft’s doing a little damage control and saying that the FCC hasn’t found any interference with TV signals so far, and that it’s easier to pull the plug now and let other, non-MS devices finish out testing. Yeah, we’d say so — at this point Redmond’s bungled attempts to get this stuff working are becoming sort of embarrassing. Google to the rescue?

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Filed under: Wireless

The 700MHz auction is over, but that doesn’t mean the days of high-stakes spectrum drama have come to a close — just like we’d heard, Google today began a renewed push for white space internet. Backed by Microsoft, Philips, Dell, HP and others, white space transmissions are designed to fit in between TV signals on channels 2-51, but there’s just one little problem — the stuff doesn’t really work yet. That’s all about to change, according to Google: the company says it’s done its own testing and will submit a proposal for an enhanced system to the FCC soon — hmm, that could explain that secret test 700MHz network on the Google campus we’ve been hearing about, no? What’s more, in an effort to open up the white space market and bring some competition to the broadband scene, Google says it’s willing to provide free technical assistance and reference designs to other would-be white space providers wanting to get in on the action — sort of like white space Android. Of course, all of this hinges on the FCC actually approving the tech, but if the 700MHz open-access drama showed us anything, it’s that Google is pretty adept at playing the system to get what it wants from Uncle Sam.

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Filed under: Wireless

Details are a bit sparse, but according to CNET, in the wake of this week’s non-defeat in the FCC spectrum auctions, Google is planning a press call to publicly discuss its intentions to continue lobbying the FCC to favor the pursuit of white space data transmissions. We know Google’s all joined up with Microsoft, Intel, and a number of other triple-a companies in the white space coalition — which intends to provide dynamic wireless access on shreds and scraps of unused radio spectrum, bringing the world a step closer to the magical land of software defined radios — but exactly what G will be announcing we won’t find out until next week.

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We’ve always been totally enamored of the idea of white space wireless transmissions — using gaps in the broadcast spectrum reserved for TV to transmit broadband-speed data — but the sad reality is that despite backing from heavy hitters like Google and Microsoft, the idea’s never really gotten off the ground. Fierce opposition from NAB and non-working devices aside, however, the White Spaces Coalition just isn’t ready to give up: it’s just launched the more consumer-focused Wireless Innovation Alliance, which, as far as we can tell, is basically the same pitch with a much snazzier website. While we’d love to see a groundswell of consumer support help get this tech off the ground, we’d say that best marketing would be for a working device to make an appearance, no?

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