[opendtv] News: Google Proposes To Monitor TV White Spaces
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 09:33:25 -0500
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/442455-Google_Proposes_To_Monitor_TV_White_Spaces.php?nid=2228&source=title&rid=5250536
Google Proposes To Monitor TV White Spaces
Company submits proposal to be an administrator of geolocation database
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/5/2010 10:26:44 AM
Google, which pushed the FCC to open up the so-called white spaces
between TV channels wants to run them as well.
In a blog posting Monday evening, Google Washington counsel Richard
Whitt said the company had submitted a proposal to the commission to
be designated one of the administrators of a geolocation database.
Unlicensed devices the FCC is allowing to share the TV spectrum must
be capable of connecting to the database to find out what channels
are open for use and which are not in any location.
Google is proposing to provide all of the database architecture, from
storage to search, for what it says should be multiple managers, and
says it is in the best position to provide an open, publicly
accessible, secure system, which it will commit to paying for for
five years, per FCC requirements.
It does not anticipate charging a per-inquiry fee--though the FCC
permits the database administer to do so--though it did not rule them
out either. Google can also charge for registering spectrum users.
The company envisions a clearinghouse model where a number of
database service providers would be able to cooperate to form
voluntary arrangements to share commission data.
Google was responding to the FCC's issuance of a request for
proposals for a database manager.
Back when the FCC approved the so-called white spaces between TV
channels for use by the devices, it made a part of that decision a
combination geo-location device and database identifying incumbent
band users, which include full-power and low-power TV stations.
That is an effort to prevent interference from the devices, which
search out vacant spectrum to operate on. The database is meant to
tell an unlicensed device which channels are vacant, as well as to
register the locations of fixed devices and "protected locations and
channels" not listed in FCC databases.
Those could include cable headends or locations where wireless
microphones are regularly used.
The FCC in late November said it was looking for someone to manage
the database that will identify unused TV spectrum for use by
unlicensed devices like laptops for mobile broadband.
In the notice, the FCC gave potential database managers until Jan. 4
to outline proposals for the database, which will have to contain the
information, a process for incumbents to register, and a way for
devices to query it.
The public will now have until Feb. 18 to comment on the proposals.
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