Title: Message
FYI
Rick
Harnish
President
OnlyInternet Broadband Wireless, Inc.
260-827-2482 Office
260-307-4000 Cell
260-918-4340 VoIP
www.oibw.net
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: FCC NPRM for UHF
TV Band Unlicensed Use [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Michael Calabrese
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005
5:09 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [TVWHITESPACE] FW:
Broadcast to Broadband: Prominent Engineers Dismiss TV Industry Interference
Claims in New Paper
Experts
Refute TV Industry Claims on DTV Reception Issue
Three ProminentEngineersState
that OpeningVacant Channels forWireless Broadband Will Not
Interfere withTelevisionReception
Last week, on a bipartisan basis, the House Commerce
Committee approved an amendment to its digital TV transition bill directing the
FCC to complete itsproposed rulemakingto open up vacant, unused
channels in the TV band spectrum (also known as white space) for unlicensed
wireless broadband use (Docket 04-186).
Last year,the FCCissued a proposed rulemaking to
allow smartwireless broadband devices to utilize empty TV
channelsbetween Chs. 2 and 51on a market-by-market
basis.Openingwasted TV spectrum for broadband in each market
willespecially benefit rural areas.Unfortunately, this
proceeding has stalled at the Commission under Chairman Kevin Martin. The
broadcast industry opposes the House amendment and the FCCs
proceeding,claiming that unlicensed devices operating in vacant TV
channelscouldcause harmful interference to TV signals
onnearby channels.
New America's
Issue Brief --authored by three of the nation's most respected spectrum
engineers--demonstrates why the industrystechnical
claims are unfounded. Reclaiming
the Vast Wasteland: Why Unlicensed Use of the White Space in the TV Bands Will
Not Cause Interference to DTV Viewers,explains whythe
interference-avoidance mechanisms proposed by the FCC are sufficient to ensure
that DTVreception isnot harmed by unlicensed
devices.The co-authors are:
Michael Marcus,
former FCC Associate Chief for Technology, Office of Engineering and
Technology
Paul Kolodzy,
former Chair, FCC Spectrum Policy Task Force
Andrew Lippman, founding Associate Director,
MIT Media Lab
- For a more detailed version of the papers argument,
refer to the Technical
Reply Comments of the New America Foundation, et al. in the above-referenced proceeding.
- For more background on the broadcast
industrysspurious claims regarding interference, refer to New America
Foundations fact
sheet.
- For a brief explanation of whyutilizing vacant TV
channels for broadband isimportant and feasible, see the statement
by former FCC Chief Engineer Edmond Thomas from New Americas September 7th
Capitol Hill Briefing.
Thanks for your interest.
Michael Calabrese
Director, Wireless Future Program
New America
Foundation
Cover Story
Unlicensed
wireless advocates after TV white space
By Heather Forsgren Weaver
Oct 28, 2005
WASHINGTON-Advocates of unlicensed spectrum are
trying to get their hands on TV airwaves they believe will be available in
channels 2-51 following the transition to digital TV.
After
the digital conversion there will be unused spectrum in many areas, so
advocates for unlicensed spectrum are calling for this white space.
The
TV band has been called a `vast wasteland' of underutilized spectrum. Even
after the completion of the DTV transition-and reallocation of TV channels
52-69-an average of only seven full-power DTV stations will be operating on
channels 2-51 in the nation's 210 local TV markets. Only a fraction of the
294 megahertz of prime spectrum allocated to DTV services will actually be
utilized in most markets, said three prominent engineers in a recent
policy paper released by the New America Foundation. The proposed use
of white space TV channels could have a particularly great impact on the
growth of information services in rural areas, where such empty channels are
readily available. In urban areas, where less `white space' is available,
this spectrum would also be useful because the great demand for wireless
broadband services and because of the ability of the TV band spectrum to
penetrate buildings and objects within buildings better than the higher
bands.
TV
broadcasters are opposed to this idea, fearing interference, and have been fighting
it at the Federal Communications Commission since former FCC Chairman Michael
Powell first proposed it.
Since
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin assumed his post, the TV White Space proceeding has
been dormant-but no more. As part of the House Commerce Committee's
consideration of the DTV Transition Act of 2005, language was included
directing the FCC to complete its consideration of the TV White Space rules
within one year.
Score
one for the unlicensed wireless advocates.
The
broadcasters are trying to shut
