FCC to open up vacant TV airwaves for broadband

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – A new flavor of Wi-Fi, with longer range and wall-piercing power, could show up in wireless gadgets a year from now if the Federal Communications Commission works out the last details of new spectrum rules that have been long in the making.

Nearly two years ago, the FCC voted to open up the airwaves between broadcast TV channels — so-called "white spaces" — for wireless broadband connections that would work like Wi-Fi on steroids. But wrangling over key technical details, including concerns about interference with TV signals and wireless microphones, has prevented exploitation of these spaces.

On Sept. 23, the FCC plans to vote on rules meant to resolve those issues. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski predicts electronics makers will jump at this "super Wi-Fi" technology, as the agency calls it, and make it just as popular as conventional Wi-Fi.

"We're hoping history will repeat itself," Genachowski said. "White spaces are a big deal for consumers and for investment and innovation."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100913/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_fcc_super_wi_fi

---

Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com Check it out!

[TheWraith]

1. Woo!

Okay, the comparison to WiFi is grotesquely inaccurate, since this is talking about a couple different technologies, the most promising of which is more likely to work akin to long range wireless DSL. But still, it's awesome that they're finally doing this. Die, telephone companies!

[JCMach1]

2. I envision small microwave antennas for broadband!

i.e. you would have that box with your wifi built in...

[formercia]

7. The antennas would be bigger, since the frequencies are lower.

There are high gain antennas already available for wi-fi where one can easily get a several mile link.

[JCMach1]

8. I had microwave cable TV in the 1990's the antenna would be similar

to that.

[Canuckistanian]

6. It's still WiFi

We're working on a whitespace system where I work. It's still 802.11n protocol - just with the intelligence to automatically find the best open bandwidth.

[corkhead]

3. Hurry up and hand over whats left of the spectrum to the big telcos so they can sell it back to us

horay for free enterprise.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

4. Neet!

[meegbear]

5. And I look forward to being charged double so I can go from 6Mbps to 8Mbps ...

God bless America!