FCC approves latecomer Microsoft as white-space database provider

The Federal communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has named Microsoft as an administrator of the TV white spaces database, despite the company filing late and others opposing its designation.

Microsoft is now required to develop and operate a TV bands database in its geographic area that will locate the unused slivers of broadcast spectrum. Microsoft is now the 10th company the FCC has designated as a white space database provider. Microsoft requested to become a database provider 15 months after the OET's stated deadline. Nine companies were given the okay to provide databases back on Jan. 26--Comsearch, Frequency Finder, Google, KB Enterprises, LS Telecom, Key Bridge Global, Neustar, Spectrum Bridge, Telcordia and WSdb. Databases are necessary to determine what white-space channels to use since the spectrum consists of slivers of 700 MHz channels freed by the transition of TV channels from analog to digital. Using geolocation, the databases should detect interference with TV broadcasts and other signals and allow white-space devices to jump to free spectrum.