F.C.C. to Open Radio Spectrum
By MATT RICHTEL
Published: November 4, 2008 NYT
Over the objections of television
broadcasters and other groups, federal regulators set aside a disputed
slice of radio spectrum for public use on Tuesday, hoping it would lead
to low-cost, high-speed Internet access and new wireless devices.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 5 to 0 to approve the new use for
the unlicensed frequencies, known as white spaces.
A
coalition of powerful groups, including broadcasters, Broadway theater
producers and sports franchises, hoped to derail or delay the decision.
They have argued that their own transmissions — whether from television
signals or from wireless microphones used in live music performances —
could face interference from new devices that use the white spaces.But
F.C.C. commissioners said in a public meeting on Tuesday that they were
confident that enough testing had been done to assure them that
interference was not a major risk. “It’s fair to say few other
engineering analyses at the F.C.C. have been as lengthy and open,” said
Michael J. Copps, a commissioner.Echoing the views of other
commissioners, he added that the measure could lead to development of a
new generation of devices that use the spectrum to provide Internet
access. Commissioners said such access could be more reliable
than Wi-Fi, which also uses unlicensed frequencies but does not reach
as far.That view has been heralded by technology companies, like Google,
Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, which will benefit from the spread of Internet
access. “Some have called this Wi-Fi on steroids,” Mr. Copps said. “I hope
they’re correct.”The measure was championed by Kevin J. Martin,
the F.C.C.’s chairman. Some commissioners voted for the measure but
said they agreed with its opponents that the issue was pushed too
quickly and that more time could have been taken for discussion or
testing.“When the commission puts expediency ahead of an open
process, it creates unnecessary resentment from parties that believe
they were not given a fair hearing,” said Jonathan S. Adelstein, a
commissioner. He said he nevertheless voted for the measure because he
felt further delay was unlikely to change the outcome.In
addition to the broadcasters, the decision was opposed by the Broadway
theater industry, which argued that new devices using the white spaces
could interfere with transmissions from wireless microphones and among
crew members.A coalition of Broadway producers and performers joined the
broadcasters in arguing that the F.C.C. should conduct more tests. “We
are deeply disappointed with the F.C.C. decision that could silence
Broadway productions and those at other venues around the country,”
said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, a trade
group representing the New York theater industry. The
discussion over how to handle white spaces emerged in light of an
impending change in the way television signals were delivered. Starting
in February, TV stations will be required to switch to digital from
analog delivery.Since 2004, the F.C.C. has been studying whether
the frequencies between television channels — the white spaces — could
be used by other devices, particularly because digital signals are less
prone to interference. The F.C.C. performed two sets of tests that
showed some potential for disruption on frequencies used by
broadcasters, live theater performances or others who rely on the same
spectrum.But F.C.C. commissioners said they had confidence that
interference could be mitigated through tight regulation of new
devices. For devices to be automatically certified by the commission,
they must include technology that determines whether they are in a
location where the channels are protected for use by incumbent
broadcasters; if they are, they must find some other channel to
transmit on. Mr. Martin said he expected that devices using the
spectrum could be on the market within a year to 18 months. These might
include portable communications gadgets as well as in-home electronics
that, for instance, could carry a video signal from a computer or
recording device to a television. Technology companies applauded the F.C.C.’s
decision.“The
F.C.C. has taken a significant step to usher in a new era of technology
allowing for major investments in innovative wireless broadband,” Greg
Brown, president and co-chief executive of Motorola, said in a statement.In a
blog post, Larry Page,
Google’s co-founder and president of products, said he believed
engineers and entrepreneurs would be quick to build devices to take
advantage of the white spaces.“We think that this spectrum will help put better
and faster Internet connections in the hands of the public,” he wrote.
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