Washington — Months after the global search leader Google Inc. efficaciously lobbied for open access to enable applications and services to run on more mobile phones, The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday unanimously voted to free up unused frequencies on the broadcast television spectrum for wireless Internet access, handing a victory to Google Inc. and rejecting claims by broadcasters that the plan would disrupt TV signals.
The proposal, approved in a 5-0 by the FCC, would allow “new, sophisticated wireless devices to operate in broadcast television spectrum” known as “white spaces,” if they come equipped with anti-interference technology. Mobile-phone makers such as Motorola Inc. would have to obtain FCC certification for each white-space product before putting it on the market.
“The rules approved today will allow for the use of these new and innovative types of unlicensed devices in the unused spectrum to provide broadband data and other services for consumers and businesses,” the FCC said in a statement.
“We have been very cautious in our approach,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said. The plan will encourage wireless innovation while requiring safeguards to protect broadcasters from interference, he said.
The ruling is a victory for technology giants such as Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Motorola which had been battling to open up the so-called “white spaces” could be used to bring broadband to rural America and other underserved parts of the country.
“White spaces are the blank pages on which we will write our broadband future,” said Jonathan Adelstein, one of two Democrats on the five-member commission. Adelstein added that white spaces could represent a “third channel” to reach consumers beyond the telephone and cable networks that represent the primary competition in today’s broadband market.
Google and Microsoft Corp. say the plan would expand Americans’ Internet access, especially in rural areas. White- space devices will tap into free, wireless Web access, while providing a wider range of coverage than today’s Wi-Fi technology. Google Co-founder Larry Page, who has traveled to Washington, D.C. to fight for access to white spaces, said in a blog post the move means the public will soon have “Wi-Fi on steroids.”
Microsoft Chief Strategy Officer Craig Mundie said last week that if the FCC approved Martin’s plan, white-space devices might be available in 12 to 18 months. Microsoft would make software for the products, he said in an interview.
The approval came over the objections of the nation’s big TV broadcasters and groups which use wireless microphones such as Broadway producers and professional sports leagues had opposed the move, arguing that using the fallow spectrum to deliver wireless Internet access could disrupt their over-the-air signals.
Manufacturers and users of wireless microphones — including sports leagues, church leaders and performers of all stripes — have also raised concerns about interference.
But the FCC said the new rules “include numerous safeguards to protect incumbent services against harmful interference.”
“Wireless microphones will be protected in a variety of ways,” it said.
The next step for the protesting parties could be a fight on Capitol Hill or a lawsuit to stop the FCC plan from taking effect.
“Every American who values interference-free TV should be concerned by today’s commission vote,” the National Association of Broadcasters said in a statement.
Four commissioners voted to approve the plan with one commissioner –Republican Deborah Tate — dissenting in part. Among her concerns, Tate raised questions about how potential interference problems would be handled.
Last month, a technical report by FCC engineers concluded that interference could be eliminated with the use of wireless transmitter devices that rely on spectrum-sensing and “geolocation” technologies to detect nearby broadcast signals.
“It has the potential to improve wireless broadband connectivity and inspire an ever-widening array of new Internet based products and services for consumers,” Martin said.
“I fully expect that everything from enhanced home broadband networks, to intelligent peer-to-peer devices, and even small communications networks will come into being in TV ‘white spaces.’”
Google co-founder Larry Page welcomed the FCC move.
“All eyes are on the presidential election today, but another important vote just took place at the Federal Communications Commission,” Page said in a statement. Page said Google also looks forward to working with the FCC to finalize the method used to compute power levels of empty channels adjacent to TV channels, which he said is a vital issue in urban areas. This is a clear victory for Internet users and anyone who wants good wireless communications.”
This is great news for Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other companies looking to profit from the proliferation of Web services and applications over mobile handheld devices, such as smart phones. These companies are positioning themselves to rule the very green field of mobile digital advertising. All have a horse in the race.