Pai Circulates TV White Spaces NPRM; Details Coming Soon
A TV white spaces NPRM circulated on the eighth floor by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday seems to incorporate concepts pushed by Microsoft, a broadcast industry official said Wednesday. The TVWS NPRM is set for a vote at the Feb. 28 commissioners’ meeting (see 2002050013). The proposal "would allow white space devices to reach users at greater distances, thus enabling improved broadband coverage," said an FCC release. The item includes proposals to increase the minimum separation distances for white space devices operating at higher power.
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The draft seeks comment on allowing higher-power and taller antennas for rural, fixed white spaces devices and higher-power mobile operations. It would allow those operations "within geo-fenced areas and proposes rule revisions to facilitate the development of new and innovative narrowband" IoT services, the agency said.
The little information so far suggests the proposal contains rule changes Microsoft pushed, a broadcast official told us. NAB and Microsoft have been sparring over white space proposals for several years (see 1707110015). The interference protections Pai mentioned sound positive, said Sinclair Senior Vice President-Advanced Technology Mark Aitken, cautioning he can’t be sure about the NPRM without seeing it. NAB “appreciates the consensus-based approach the FCC is taking in this proceeding,” said the group “We look forward to working with the Commission and other stakeholders to develop final rules that will allow more flexibility for rural white spaces operations while protecting broadcasters.”
Microsoft President Brad Smith tweeted that the NPRM "is an important step forward towards bringing broadband to more people in rural America." The company declined further comment. CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association declined to comment.
Broadcaster concerns about white space proposals involve the ATSC 3.0 transition, Aitken said. An ongoing proceeding on relaxing rules on distributed transmission systems is seen as very important to the new standard, and it’s not clear how the NPRM will interact with that proceeding. Devices operating in the TV white spaces could interfere with ATSC 3.0 signals on the edge of broadcasters’ contours, Aitken said.
"Modernizing the ... rules is a critical step in allowing broadcasters to improve their service," emailed SpectumCo President John Hane. "This NPRM is a step in the right direction, as long as the FCC keeps its eye on the ball," Hane said. "I fully support opportunistic white space usage on a non-interference basis as long as it is in fact opportunistic and doesn’t interfere.” The NPRM "is a big step to set the final ground rules for the 15-year effort to fully develop TV white spaces for broadband without harmful interference to broadcasters," said ex-Commissioner Robert McDowell, who has represented Microsoft in the proceeding.
WifiForward “commends the Chairman for his move to make the most efficient use of our spectrum resources for public benefit,” it tweeted. “Innovation will abound, as a new ecosystem of hardware, software and Internet providers will develop due to the band’s more attractive propagation characteristics,” said Wireless ISP Association Vice President-Policy Louis Peraertz.
The TVWS rules “have remained stuck in the past,” said Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld. “Depending on the language of the proposal, Chairman Pai’s proposed changes could allow thousands of wireless internet service providers in rural America to provide real broadband access to their communities."
A blog post from Pai with more information about the agency’s Feb. 28 agenda is expected Thursday, an agency spokesperson told us. Draft items will be released Friday, she said.