WASHINGTON-The National Religious Broadcasters came out against Senate legislation aimed at allowing the TV white spaces to be used for unlicensed operations, charging that such devices are untested, the digital TV transition is not complete, and such devices could interfere with wireless microphones that are used by many churches for services and to broadcast those services.
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 percent and 80 percent of the TV spectrum would not be used once the DTV transition is completed. 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 TV white spaces can be used without causing interference to adjacent TV channels-but the TV industry disagrees.
“Advocates promoting unlicensed devices point to new technologies, such as spectrum-sensing radios that will prevent interference to TV sets and wireless microphones,” said Frank Wright, president and chief executive officer of the National Religious Broadcasters association. “These spectrum-sensing technologies are designed to avoid operation on frequencies that are being used and shift operations to `vacant channels.’ However, none of these technologies have been tested and proven effective at avoiding interference in the TV band. None have been tested in the real world. Never before has the Federal Communications Commission authorized high-power-unlicensed devices to operate in a band that is already occupied by millions of receiving devices,” Wright continued.
The TV broadcasting industry has been fighting a similar proposal pending at the FCC. The TV white-spaces proceeding at the commission 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-spaces rules within one year. The legislation that NRB opposes would overrule the FCC and require the FCC to allow the TV whites spaces to be used by unlicensed devices.
Using the TV white space is a consolation prize for advocates of unlicensed uses like the New America Foundation. 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. RCR
