Nov 4, 2008 05:54 PM
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FCC officials approved a plan for white space wireless broadband in a vote today. For those unfamiliar, white space broadband would take the unused parts of the television broadcast spectrum and make it available for internet data transfer. What we know so far is that the FCC will allow broadband usage of the white space following the February analog to digital TV changeover and the plans appear to be significant. Kevin Adelstein, a member of the voting committee said "White spaces are the blank pages on which we which we will write our broadband future." However, there are still obstacles to overcome.
The FCC must avoid a lawsuit from the National Association of Broadcasters, who could file a lawsuit to freeze plans. They worry that the use of white space could cause interference issues. But if they can sidestep that issue, this will be a boost for companies like Microsoft and Google, who want to provide internet for use in free programs and those in rural, hard-to-reach areas. [Yahoo]
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