High Tech Players Urge Opening TV ‘White Spaces’ to Broadband

The FCC appears likely to offer a pilot project testing FCC Office of Engineering & Technology arguments the white spaces can be safely used (CD Nov 30 p3). Sources said Wed. only a change in leadership at the Commission would potentially kill the initiative.

Intel was among the high tech players who argued that the FCC was on the right track with the controversial proposal. “Permitting new wireless devices to share the TV broadcast spectrum would vastly improve spectrum management,” Intel said. “The traditional spectrum management system -- which was developed years ago to accommodate a limited number of TV broadcast licensees -- needs to be updated.” Intel said the “rapid proliferation” of Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) dictate providing more spectrum for unlicensed uses.

Microsoft said the channels offer the Commission a chance to provide wireless Internet in areas not served by DSL or cable. “There are unused television channels in every community that would be ideal for use by unlicensed broadband devices and service providers,” Microsoft said: “The technology already exists to allow these vacant channels to be used without causing harmful interference to broadcasters.”

TIA said TV spectrum is “ideally suited” for deployment of wireless broadband with “excellent propagation characteristics that offer more effective service at greater distances than higher frequency bands currently used by unlicensed devices.” The Wi-Fi Alliance said use of white spaces would speed roll out of wireless broadband.

Wireless Unleashed called the proposal “a sound and conservative framework for unlocking unused wireless capacity.” The order “would free up unused capacity for innovative new wireless applications,” the group said. “It would encourage competition. It would spur industry investment in new technologies. It would catalyze deployment of devices that make more efficient use of the wireless spectrum. And it would serve as a model for other governments worldwide.”

Qualcomm, however, said the proposal could prove disruptive to a new product it’s offering on the lower 700 MHz band, on Ch. 55. “In markets where there are no analog TV stations on Channels 54-56, Qualcomm can launch its new service now, but not if the FCC allows unlicensed devices on these channels,” the company said. “It would be grossly unfair and contrary to the public interest for the FCC to make it impossible for licensees to use the spectrum after auctioning it without such restrictions.”

NCTA, while not opposed to the concept of freeing up spectrum for unlicensed devices, is concerned about maintaining the quality of cable products and services. The group urged the FCC to adopt standards to deter interference with a cable operator’s receipt and transmission of terrestrial broadcast TV for retransmission to its customers. The group also urged the FCC to come up with a plan for determining available frequencies and plans for identifying interfering devices in order to ameliorate the effects of direct pickup noise of unlicensed devices in consumer electronics receivers connected to cable receivers.

The New America Foundation and Media Access Project urged the FCC to open the empty TV channels, which they claim occupy “beachfront” spectrum, for use by ISPs and WiFi devices. To reallocate prime spectrum from broadcast to affordable broadband, would open wasted airwaves to be shared by wireless service providers to “help close the digital divide in under-served areas,” said New America Foundation Vp Michael Calabrese.

But interference would be created by unlicensed devices, especially during the DTV transition, NAB and MSTV said in joint comments. Early adopters of DTV sets will see a blank screen when experiencing harmful interference from unlicensed devices that could result in other consumers being less inclined to adopt DTV technology, they said. A Communications Research Centre Canada study found that during the DTV transition interference from the indoor operation of portable unlicensed devices would prevent consumers from watching any broadcast, even cable, on any channel.

The FCC’s proposal fails to provide any practical means to prevent interference, NAB and MSTV said. The Commission relies on technology that hasn’t been sufficiently developed or on methods which have already proven unreliable.

Another engineering analysis prepared by TechWare found that there’s a dearth of white spaces available outside unpopulated areas during the DTV transition. Moreover, during the complicated channel election and repacking processing involving 1,600 full-power TV stations and their analog and digital channels, the environment in which unlicensed devices would operate would be crowded, shifting and uncertain, it said: The spectrum sharing overlay concept would launch in the “worst possible environment.” The FCC should defer the introduction of new shared use of spectrum until after the DTV transition, NAB and MSTV said. “If at that time the Commission still sees a need for spectrum overlay operation in the TV broadcast spectrum, it should design, articulate, test and solicit public comment on a new proposal with well-defined and predictable parameters for protections.”

Allocating the vacant TV broadcast spectrum for unlicensed use “would advance the deployment of many new and innovative products and services,” CEA told the Commission. But proposed rules “need to be refined to prevent unintentional yet widespread interference,” CEA said. It acknowledged that the CE industry typically argues for “minimal rules” on unlicensed devices, but “the environment of licensed services into which these unlicensed devices would be introduced is not empty or even sparsely populated in this case.”

CEA said it also was extremely concerned about “the potential negative implications interference could have” on the DTV transition. For the transition to succeed, “we must strive for absolute consumer satisfaction with their digital TV signal,” CEA said. It said it therefore supported use of fixed-access devices as the most “sensible use” of the vacant spectrum, but believes “greater caution must be taken” for portable devices “by introducing them at a lower power level after reliable, non-interfering operation has been demonstrated.”

It proposed setting the limits for portable devices be 20mW with an antenna gain to 0 dBi. “Doing so has a host of benefits,” CEA argued. “It allows the industry to more safely introduce products and gain experience.” Among the other benefits, CEA said, starting with a lower power limit for portable devices “establishes a regulatory framework that can be easily modified once more experience is gained.” CEA even urged that fixed-access devices be deployed with “extreme caution.” It proposed that the FCC require registration for the fixed-access system “to capture in one location the significant operating parameters of the system.”

The Society of Bcst. Engineers (SBE) said it wouldn’t object to the proposal, if a few unused TV channels could be reliably detected, based upon both location and time. The FCC should also consider interference that would be caused to Class A stations, point-to-point broadcast auxiliary links that operate on UHF TV channels, low power TV stations, translator stations and low power auxiliary stations.

SBE also said the Commission’s notion in its proposal that FM wireless microphones operating on TV channels hundreds of feet away wouldn’t cause interference was flawed. Many productions employ long-distance telephoto shots that rely on wireless microphones, whose signals tend to be weak and prone to interference from co-channel high power Part 15 devices. “Even for the RF-isolated theatrical and sport venues, there is no guarantee that high power Part 15 devices operating on unused TV channels would not be inadvertently used in those same venues,” SBE said.