[opendtv] White spaces and 700MHz D Block could be part of new US spectrum plan
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:18:52 -0500
It's really annoying to see this level of self-serving "analysis." Look how
many billions I can make if you make it legal for me to grab that spectrum.
If the FCC wants to allow the use of "white spaces," they should simply take
out the auto-detection option altogether. Make white spaces available on a case
by case basis, in each market. Don't permit use of white spaces for ad-hoc
networks. It's not so hard to figure out, is it? Auto-detection schemes can't
work right.
The FCC under Genachowski is also pushing hard for "network neutrality," even
for cellular devices in the 700 MHz band. They should try some of that thinking
in the cable networks too. I just got a blurb about Verizon FiOS, which says
that for all HDTV content, you need their damned box.
No doubt, everyone will just cave in, as lemings always do.
Bert
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http://www.rethink-wireless.com/article.asp?article_id=1940
White spaces and 700MHz D Block could be part of new US spectrum plan
By CAROLINE GABRIEL
Published: 25 September, 2009
The US FCC has opened the consultation on new spectrum requirements for
broadband wireless, a process that will be tightly bound into its new calls for
net neutrality on wireless networks. But some spectrum is already out there,
waiting to be used, argues the industry - Microsoft has come up with a study
that places a value on the white spaces spectrum, while T-Mobile is urging a
new plan for the 700MHz D Block.
"We seek additional comment on the fundamental question of whether current
spectrum allocations ... are adequate to support near- and longer-term demands
of wireless broadband," the FCC said in a call for public comment on Wednesday.
Microsoft says the white spaces - small pieces of unused spectrum in the analog
TV band - could be worth over $100bn over 15 years. The software giant, along
with Google, Motorola and others, has been a major campaigner for these
frequencies to be opened up for unlicensed, broadband wireless usage, which was
approved by the FCC last year, subject to anti-interference measures. Since
then, however, the excitement over the spectrum has died down as vendors seek
to create compliant products and find a business case.
The Windows maker aims to reawaken interest with the publication of its study,
carried out by Perspective Associates. This suggests that by augmenting current
unlicensed wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi, the white spaces could generate
between $3.9bn and $7.3bn in value annually over 15 years through enabling the
increased use of consumer electronics and the introduction of new device
classes.
The document argues that the low frequencies of the white spaces spectrum
support a longer range than a typical Wi-Fi connections - so a Wi-Fi access
point enhanced by the white spaces could "fully cover a large building and the
neighboring grounds and areas". This would reduce costs of rural coverage.
While chips used to power white spaces devices would cost $10 more than
existing technologies in 2012, this difference would steadily decline at about
30% a year from that time on.
"Our nation's policymakers should encourage further innovation by embracing
unlicensed spectrum as a key pillar of America's communications framework,"
Microsoft VP for technology policy and strategy, Anoop Gupta, wrote.
Meanwhile, the D Block of the 700MHz band is also going to waste, since no
partner came up with the reserve price when the FCC was looking to auction the
block for a public-private initiative that would create a national public
safety network. Now T-Mobile USA is making the case for auctioning the spectrum
purely for commercial purposes, with proceeds going toward the build-out of the
safety system.
In testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, T-Mobile's VP of
government affairs, Tom Sugrue, reiterated T-Mobile's call for the FCC to make
at least an additional 200MHz of spectrum below 3.5GHz available for commercial
services within five years in order to meet growing consumer demand for
wireless services.
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