DISQUS

Technology Liberation Front: Google, the NAB, and a Third Way in ‘White Spaces’ Debate

  • dmarti · 1 year ago
    You don't need to allocate for unlicensed use a whole 50MHz band at a time. Why not allocate a small slice, and if people like it, allocate more? Or a device vendor such as Cisco could put up the seed money for a Dominant Assurance Contract to bid on a spectrum "unlicense."

    http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevol...
  • Drew Clark · 1 year ago
    Don,

    Exactly. A band manager (including a Cisco/Google/Microsoft) could allow unlicensed transmissions under the terms that it sets for the band that it owns or controls.
  • Drew Clark · 1 year ago
    All,

    I've also posted a sidebar, laying out some of the spectrum numbers, at http://drewclark.com/spectrum-math
  • andyinsdca · 1 year ago
    Please lose the crappy background. Black text on grey stripes is IMPOSSIBLE to read.
  • Ryan Radia · 1 year ago
    Drew, excellent overview of the white spaces debate. The trouble with central planning of the spectrum is irresolvable disputes over how to use frequency bands.
    Letting so much valuable frequency lie fallow to give broadcasters peace of mind is probably not what would happen if a free market existed for spectrum.

    At the last telecoalition meeting, somebody tossed out the idea of a 80/20 allocation. Auction 80 percent of the spectrum with property rights, and leave the remaining 20 percent for unlicensed, open use subject to reasonable restrictions on effective radiated output. Sounds good to me.

    You also make a good point about broadcasters ceasing over-the-air transmissions. Considering how few people actually watch local TV via an antenna, perhaps the 300mhz currently used for TV broadcasts could be put to a better use, one that's valued by a larger number of people.
  • Towerguy · 1 year ago
    If one also considers the existing low powered television stations (LPTV) in NY, DC and Philly, there is very little "white-space" avaiable - just considering the full service allotments alone does not tell the entire story.
  • annktrembley · 6 months ago
    So does that mean that Google is right, and that vacant broadcast channels should yield to broadband? It’s important to fidelity 401k consider an alternative – auctioning off at least a portion of the white space. The effort to do this has been promoted by CTIA, the wireless association, in March 2008. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin may be open to it.