Copps Not Convinced White Spaces Technology Is There Yet

COPPS NOT CONVINCED WHITE SPACES TECHNOLOGY IS THERE YET
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said that he agreed that there is a lot of confusion over Commission testing of unlicensed mobile devices for possible use in the digital-TV spectrum band, saying that making the technology work is "imperative" but adding that it doesn't seem to be there yet. Commissioner Copps said he thought the FCC "needs to have some clarity" as it proceeds, but added that he is "a believer in white spaces," saying that using them "is not only desirable, but imperative." Computer companies want to use remote, unlicensed spectrum-sensing devices -- personal digital assistants, laptops -- that are designed to sense and use available spectrum in the space between DTV channels. Broadcasters have been fighting the move -- including in a new radio campaign launched this week -- arguing that allowing unlicensed devices in the band could interfere, literally, with the digital transition.
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