WASHINGTON-Allocating spectrum for unlicensed uses would help rural America achieve full broadband deployment, Microsoft Corp.’s chief technology officer told lawmakers. Microsoft’s CTO Craig Mundie endorsed bills that would make TV white space spectrum available to unlicensed users.
“Unlicensed spectrum should be part of the solution. By pursuing serious spectrum reform, Congress can ensure that wireless broadband connections provide an alternative means to deliver broadband to all consumers, especially those in rural areas,” said Mundie, one of several witnesses at a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee on rural telecommunications.
Native Americans, which significantly lag others in telephone usage, would benefit from unlicensed spectrum being made available, said Joe Garcia, governor of the Ohkay Owingeh & president of the National Congress of American Indians. “Very few tribal governments have been able to access licensed spectrum,” said Garcia.
The hearing comes nearly three weeks after two bills were introduced to allocate unused TV channels for unlicensed uses.
The New America Foundation, a think tank that has led the charge to make the TV white spaces available for unlicensed uses, estimates that between 40 to 80 percent of the TV spectrum would not be used once the digital TV transition is completed.
“When the DTV transition ends in early 2009, most of the nation’s 210 TV markets will have between 10 and 40 unassigned channels reserved for broadcasting but not in use,” said J.H. Snider, research director of NAF’s Wireless Future Program.
While the TV white-space allocation is not expected to be nationwide-since different channels are available in different TV markets-the concept would be the same across the country.
Proponents of allocating the TV white space for unlicensed use have said it would help meet President Bush’s goal of universal, affordable broadband by 2007. Proponents believe that smart radios would ensure the white space can be used without causing interference to adjacent TV channels-but the TV industry disagrees.
The TV broadcasting industry has been fighting a similar proposal pending at the FCC.
The TV white space proceeding at the FCC is heating up as the transition to DTV begins in earnest. In the same bill that set the completion date for the DTV transition at Feb. 19, 2009, language was included directing the FCC to complete TV white-space rules within one year.
Using the TV white space is a consolation prize for advocates of unlicensed uses like the NAF. These advocates wanted one-third of the spectrum being returned as part of the DTV transition to be used for unlicensed uses. However, Congress balked at this proposal since unlicensed spectrum generates no auction revenues.
