Yesterday FCC concluded with the final technical rules regarding the whitespaces, the empty airwaves between "broadcast" TV channels. Many people, including Google, thinks it will lead to a wide spread WiFI deployments, servicing the communities all across America. We do not hesitate to call that, “Wi-Fi on steroids”
FCC already conducted WHITE SPACE PROTOTYPE TESTING, in 2008 and for several years since then, the tech industry, the public interest community, and entrepreneurs were waiting for the green light to begin innovating and building new products for these airwaves on an unlicensed basis. Some like Google even conducted their own trials.
FCC’s order issued yesterday finally sets the stage for the next generation of wireless technologies to emerge, and is an important victory for Internet users across the country.
Today’s focus is on unlicensed spectrum, which offers unique opportunities to innovators and entrepreneurs. Today’s Order marks the Commission’s first significant release of unlicensed spectrum in 25 years.We need to take our hats off for Chairman Genachowski and his fellow Commissioners for adopting rules that ultimately will lead to better and faster wireless broadband connections in the hands of the public. Most notable is the fact that the FCC seems to have rejected calls to enact burdensome and unnecessary constraints that would have restricted anything on these airwaves. FCC has chosen common-sense rules that will help encourage innovation, while fully safeguarding incumbent signals from interference.
This new unlicensed spectrum will be a powerful platform for innovation. And as we’ve seen time and again, when we unleash American ingenuity, great things happen. We know from experience that unlicensed spectrum can trigger unexpected but hugely beneficial innovation. For example, years ago, there was a band of low-quality spectrum that was lying fallow. Nobody could figure out what to do with this so-called “junk band,” so the FCC decided to free it up as unlicensed spectrum.
The result was a wave of new technologies – baby monitors, cordless phones, and eventually a real game changer: Wi-Fi. Today, Wi-Fi is a multi-billion industry and an essential part of the mobile ecosystem." said the FCC Chairman Genachowski in an statement
Next step will be to assign administrators of the geolocation database, following up with the ground rules for its operation. Once these are accomplished, we all can expect to find devices and ways to utilize the found pathway to the NET.
FCC Announcement DOC, PDF
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