Free Republic

A handful of companies, including Google, have been selected to help test the unused TV frequencies known as white spaces, marking a step towards "a world with super Wi-Fi."The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week unveiled a list of nine companies selected to manage databases that will contain information about the availability of white spaces, unused TV frequencies with wireless broadband potential. In September, the FCC approved a proposal for using white spaces to bring about the next generation of Wi-Fi, or “super Wi-Fi” as its frequently called.Google, a longtime advocate of re-purposing white spaces for Wi-Fi, was among the...

The Federal Communications Commission's new approach to dealing with white spaces spectrum has gone from "proceed with utmost caution" to "if a channel looks open, use it." In its second memorandum opinion on white spaces issued Thursday, the FCC removed the requirement that devices operating on TV bands have built-in sensors that would automatically shut down the devices if they came into contact with an adjacent television signal. That requirement had originally been put in place to satisfy concerns of television broadcasters that were worried that unlicensed use of white spaces could interfere with their broadcast quality.