FCC could free up 'white space' for broadband use

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on a measure that would make white space available for wireless broadband. Under the proposal, these airwaves would be treated like Wi-Fi — unlicensed and free to everybody. "It will be like the Wi-Fi you get at Starbucks, only a lot better," says FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who first proposed the idea four years ago. The FCC's goal: to serve the expanding broadband needs of US consumers. "We are trying to make sure we're using this spectrum in the most efficient way possible," Martin says. The amount of white space varies, but in some markets there's the equivalent of six TV channels. Allowing that spectrum to lie dormant, as it has for 50 years, isn't helpful to consumers, the FCC chief says. Broadcasters are howling. They say white-space devices — which don't yet exist — might interfere with TV signals. That view is shared by Broadway theater owners, sports leagues and others that use electronic microphones, which use the same airwaves. Bruce Mehlman, executive director of the Technology CEO Council, which represents tech giants such as IBM and Intel, has another theory: "(Broadcasters) were mentally reserving the right to use the spectrum for their own profit," he says.