| FCC to vote on "White Space" for free wireless broadband
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Marcia
msg:3778894 | 2:15 am on Nov 3, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Story in USA Today: FCC could free up 'white space' for broadband use [usatoday.com]
| White space is industry lingo for the unused airwaves that abut TV spectrum and provide a buffer from stray signals and other interference. 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 U.S. consumer. |
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incrediBILL
msg:3779728 | 6:58 am on Nov 4, 2008 (gmt 0) |
| serve the expanding broadband needs of U.S. consumer |
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Total nonsense as many of the city-wide wifi initiatives such as MetroFi already went down in flames so if it was needed so badly, it would've survived already unless it was ahead of it's time. [wifinetnews.com...] If you can't keep city-wide wifi alive in Silicon Valley, do people need to keep throwing money at something that doesn't seem to want to exist?
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blaze
msg:3780181 | 9:01 pm on Nov 4, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Imagine smartphones that do skype over high speed white space. Android, iPhone, HTC Dream, etc. They're becoming commonplace nowadays. Wifi before was slow, awkward, and you had to whip out a laptop to use it. Things have changed.
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Marcia
msg:3780219 | 10:08 pm on Nov 4, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Apparently there's more to this, involving major carriers and rate changes, which is what's been postponed. | The Federal Communications Commission reported Monday that it will postpone the planned Election Day vote on the universal service fund and major revisions to intercarrier compensation. |
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FCC Delays Tuesday Vote, Prepares For 'White Spaces' Ballot [informationweek.com] | The FCC is still scheduled to vote on the so-called "white spaces" issue, which refers to the unused spectrum that exists alongside the 700-MHz band and could provide unlicensed access for wireless service. Public-interest groups and many high-tech industry interests, including Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), support the flexible use of white spaces. They argue that the spectrum could be a source of inexpensive access to wireless service. Broadcasters and other entrenched service providers maintain the spectrum could interfere with existing services. |
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So there's two sides to it, for and against, but for different reasons. | Among other things, the postponed issues could allow major telecommunications providers like AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) to charge consumers more for service. |
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[edited by: Marcia at 10:14 pm (utc) on Nov. 4, 2008]
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System
redhat
msg:3780546 | 12:14 pm on Nov 5, 2008 (gmt 0) |
The following message was cut out to new thread by engine. New thread at: foo/3780544.htm [webmasterworld.com]
12:20 pm on Nov. 5, 2008 (utc 0)
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