The 700 MHz spectrum auctions have concluded, but another battle is raging in Washington over the "white space spectrum" -- the unused analog television frequencies -- which will affect the future of wireless Internet in the U.S.
Technology companies, which are lobbying the FCC and Congress, say using the white space for wireless broadband could unleash a wave of innovation.
Unfortunately, their campaign typifies inside-the-Beltway spin.Although lobbyists frame many of their arguments in terms of “innovation” and what’s best for “The People,” the bottom line is, simply, the bottom line.
Huge corporations are jockeying for power to use the white space spectrum to sell hardware, software, and services that are more likely to enrich them than to serve the public interest. But, in my view, the white space spectrum should be allocated -- for free or with very modest fees -- to smaller companies, especially those trying local or regional wireless initiatives.
What’s at stake is analog television spectrum for channels 2 through 51 that comprise 54 MHz to 698 MHz.In February 2009, TV stations are moving to digital broadcasts and many of the channels within that spectrum will be empty.The characteristics of this vacant bandwidth (“white space”) are excellent for traveling relatively far distances and penetrating walls inside buildings.As a result, these channels would be great for mobile data applications.
Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), which was instrumental in swaying the FCC to mandate more open hardware and software requirements for the 700 MHz licensees, is a prime mover in the white space initiative.On March 21, 2008, Google sent a letter to the FCC asking the agency to allocate white space for unlicensed use for portable devices.Employing corporate/Washington hyperbole, Google called the proposed allocation “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans.”
Handsets incorporating the Google/Open Handset Alliance mobile platform, Android, combined with the spectrum “can provide uniquely low-cost mobile broadband coverage for all Americans,” the letter proclaimed (time to strike up John Philip Sousa's “Stars and Stripes Forever”).Joining Google on its march to wireless Internet glory is the new Wireless Innovative Alliance (WAI) lobbying group.Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL), and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) are among the members.
Not so fast!
Not surprisingly, TV and radio broadcasters are aiming to stop or amend the Google proposal.They have at least one powerful argument:radio interference from millions of devices on unlicensed channels.The white space devices submitted to the FCC for testing, from Microsoft and Motorola, have all failed miserably to detect and avoid existing TV channels.
Wireless microphone manufacturer Shure, the organizations that use these microphones -- such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, and ESPN and the American Arts Alliance -- operate on the white space spectrum.They argue that unlicensed spectrum devices would cause radio interference.Even the healthcare industry is concerned about interference with medical devices.Lobbying notwithstanding, these are legitimate concerns.
The CTIA, which represents the wireless industry, is lobbying against unlicensed spectrum not only because of potential interference, but on the premise that spectrum auctioning continues to work. What the CTIA doesn’t say is that its cellular operator members have spent billions of dollars for wireless spectrums and don’t want other companies to get it for free.
The National Association of Broadcasters also plays the interference card.But, as a representative of the broadcast industry, it has lobbied against FM radio, cable TV, satellite TV and DVRs -- as the WIA points out.
I believe that with enough money and technological savvy, radio interference can be overcome.Also, spectrum auctions favor wealthy incumbent corporations that gobble up licenses at the expense of smaller, innovative companies.For once, let’s try to keep the entrenched corporations from stifling innovation.
Spectrum is indeed great real estate. A little piece of "nothing" that could generate billions of dollars.....typically with an investment of hundreds of millions or billions!
It will be interesting to see how the white space issue turns out. I'm hoping there will be free or very inexpensive spectrum for people to experiment.
There are indeed many wireless technologies. But spectrum space is almost always valuable, if not now, then in the future. Indeed, that's why some companies and organizations, such as cellular operators and the CTIA, are against giving away white space spectrum.
I see the white space spectrum as a great place for experimentation. We need spectrum allocations that don't require people or companies to spend millions of dollars for the spectrum.
Also, I don't think the cost to consumers for using other spectrum, such as 3G, will be "so cheap." The U.S. cellular operators for several years have kept data prices about the same, such as $60 per month to use a cellular modem. And, even that is capped at 5GB per month.
The only way data prices will decrease is if there's competition, such as from WiMAX, white space services or others.
Hi Paul,
At least one device, perhaps more (I don't remember) was sent to the FCC for testing. So this is perhaps the third time a device (or devices) will be tested.
The white spaces initiative isn't dying. Also, I think interference problems can be solved.
I don't know if the whitespace spectrum will become economic viable in a long run.
of course this is my speculation there are too many wireless technologies coming into play that directly compete with the overall fundamentals for utilizing a whitespace
as we all know there is no free lunch even when we connect to the Internet
from a free Wi-Fi somebody is still paying the bill if there were not the other
wireless technologies emerging I could see the whitespace coalition
having advantage in the next two to three years but by the time they put in infrastructure and convince consumers to buy their hardware
the prices for high-speed broadband will be so cheap I don't think people will want to
What is the current position on the battle ovet the white space spectrum. It has been reported that some testings has been conducted and the findings have been the subject of debates also according to this article: Wireless mics at center stage as white space testing begins
It's a complicated issue, as you highlight and it's not just black or white. But the cellular operators typically want it that way -- spectrum auctions have worked (worked for the cellular operators!), so let's not change it in any way to significantly affect our ability to make as much money as possible while keeping out as many competitors as possible. That's the capitalist system (more or less), but bandwidth is more of a public trust.
By the way, for the initial cellular allocation, the FCC in conjunction with administrative law judges awarded licenses based on comparative hearings that tried to judge the best applications. The proponents of "let the marketplace decide" eventually won though, supposing that companies paying the most amount of money for spectrum would have the most incentives to use it most efficiently.
For nationwide networks, the fact of life is that only huge corporations can afford to build and maintain them....unless the government does it. The U.S. government wants billions of dollars for its coffers, so it's unlikely to want to stop that flow. So there's a cozy arrangement between the huge corporations and the government.
So the small, flexible, more experimental companies get crumbs. I'd like to see the white spaces used for more than crumbs so that virtually anyone can use the spectrum as long as it doesn't interfere with other networks and devices.
I would think that they can allocate some unlicensed spectrum and that anyone can work with it but at the end of the day, as you very well say, only the big wireless companies can provide the type of service users are looking for.
I don't see how this can be left open under any scenario - at least under normal circumstances. Big companies won’t allow it and the Government wants the extra money that can come from another auction.
Regarding the technology, it can surely be developed. Apparently the Defense department has been using it for years - like with every other technology. But it's not as the ones we can find in today's wireless systems.
And someone mentioned that big companies limit innovation. That might be true, but not nearly as much as the Government limits it. 3G would had been up and running in a lot more places if it weren't for policies and government bureaucracy regarding relocations and managing secondary licenses.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
When government officials talk about information “transparency,” they don't mean augmented reality (AR). But AR will play a major role in enhancing government transparency, although it won't be welcomed by many officials.
I am somewhat addicted to the Internet, and I like visiting Finland. But the Finnish government's declaration that access to broadband Internet is a legal right waves a red flag in front of many people, including me. That said, despite the inflammatory nature of the concept, it has more merit than you might think.
T-Mobile
customers with Sidekick cellular phones might have the dubious "honor" of experiencing one of the worst-ever consumer cloud computing meltdowns in the United States -- if not the worst.
While Google introduces its new Chrome OS (which I'm hearing will be widely available in one year? Did I mishear that?), IBM announced 10 new products today to help companies using IBM System z mainframe technology.
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
The programmable Web, open APIs, and cloud-based services will fundamentally change orthodox telcos, and they need to decide what they are really good for in this new world: It's not necessarily what you might think, according to one of the world's biggest telcos.
Techies have been going crazy over the pending release of Nokia's N900 cellular phone, which incorporates a newly revised touch-screen operating system. Reiter's got one. Is the craziness justified?
In the final episode of this series about the death of Internet anonymity, Saunders describes how the Internet of the future will start to attain a level of intelligence that requires no human intervention. Scary.
What can users today do to protect their online privacy? The simplest and most obvious option is to not use the Internet – at all. However, once all digital information is consolidated over the Internet, trying to protect digital identity by simply unplugging from the Internet becomes impossible – a fact that has manifest implications for civil liberties, Saunders says.
By 2011 the number of Internet-connected sensors will exceed 1 trillion, making your chances of doing anything or going anywhere unnoticed pretty much zero. Saunders talks about how the 'sensortization' of the Internet is eliminating the traditional divide between online and offline populations.
The 20th Century Internet was characterized by the ability to interact with other people and information on the Internet largely without anyone knowing who you were. The Internet of this century, conversely, will be defined by identity. Saunders explains how Internet users are unwittingly contributing to the demise of the anonymous Internet.
How do you recognize an Internet bubble when you see one? Saunders explains how all bubbles have four symptoms in common – and takes a swipe at Google and Twitter into the bargain.
Mobile TV is everywhere, and yet, nowhere. Nobody uses it – because the handsets aren't good, the pricing is too high, and the coverage is not good enough. But Qualcomm's FloTV Personal TV aims to change all of that.
Industry initiatives and government stimulus funds are giving enterprise software vendors a great opportunity to help build out and manage smart grid technologies.
The problem with telepresence is that it's not universally accepted, because video calling isn't. While we can all do video calling, we also apparently worry too much about how we look. If we want HD telepresence in our future, we have to dress down, mess up our hair, and dive into our online life.
The US loses about $20 billion a year on pirated software, movies, and music. But public policy can help stem the tide of digital theft. For example, France has recently passed a 'three strikes and you’re out' law, whereby if after two warning letters an individual continues to download pirated software then his Internet access will be cut off. US policy makers should consider adopting similar policies.
Financial management planning does not need to include Voodoo economics, but it does help to tap into the knowledge base of your team through some sort of real-time system. We explore your options.
When Reiter gets incensed over incompetent Verizon FiOS order-taking and support, he broadcasts it via Twitter. Did it do any good? How should your company offer Twitter support? Watch this for all the answers.
The successor to the BlackBerry Bold 9000 – the Bold 9700 – will be available soon in the US. Is it worth upgrading? Reiter's got one, and offers advice.
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Email This
TWEET THIS
