Google's lobby site ups US "white space" debate

The debate over new unlicensed spectrum the Federal Communications Commission is considering opening up is increasing as Google ups the ante with a new lobbying website.

Google on Monday launched the new site called FreetheAirWaves.com to provide consumers with a voice, the company's policy guru said during a press conference call.

Google and other technology companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Motorola have been lobbying the FCC for months to open up what's known as "white space" spectrum for unlicensed use after the digital TV transition early next year. These slivers of spectrum that sit between TV channels as buffers to ensure that TV channels don't interfere with each could be used to provide broadband wireless services.

But broadcasters say using these channels will cause interference with their broadcast signals and cause major issues for people watching TV.

A spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters said: "Microsoft's applications fail all the time. But for us our signals need to get to our audience, so it's a different world. And it's not acceptable for there to be any interference."

The debate is coming to a head as the FCC finishes field tests of proof-of-concept devices used to detect and avoid spectrum already in use. The results of the tests have been mixed. Some companies claim that geolocation-based technology has proven it can interference with existing spectrum holders. Meanwhile, a field test of spectrum sensing technology at a major sporting venue proved that technology still has some problems.

The FCC is expected to release a report of the test results next month. And it will likely vote on whether to open the spectrum in the next few months.

On the one hand, the National Association of Broadcasters is pointing to the tests as evidence that interference can't be avoided.

On the other side, Google and the technology community say these are simply proof of concept devices and not even prototypes that could be used in commercial products.

But the 300MHz to 400MHz spectrum that is being made available through the use of white spaces is not contiguous across the United States, so it's unlikely that any company could use the spectrum to build a nationwide network to compete against the major carriers.

That said, much of the white space spectrum that will be available will be in sparsely populated rural areas where there are fewer TV broadcasters and little access to broadband. And because the spectrum is ideally suited for rural areas with good propagation characteristics, it could be used by rural communities to blanket their regions with broadband access.

The FCC chairman Kevin Martin was quoted Monday in The Wall Street Journal in favour of opening up white space spectrum to encourage more broadband deployments.

He told the Journal: "Spectrum is very valuable and we want to make sure it's being used as efficiently as possible. The idea of trying to utilise the 'white spaces' from a consumer perspective would be a good win for everyone."

Original article: Debate rages over free wireless spectrum from CNET News.com