Dual Bills Aim to Open Unused Spectrum What shall we use to fill the empty spaces.... Two new bills aim to allow US wireless broadband operators unlicensed use of so-called "white spaces" in the analog television spectrum. Stations don't transmit in this spectrum, and it can be found in even the most dense urban locations. The National Association of Broadcasters has fought an FCC push on this front since 2004, concerned with interference potential. The bills: • The American Broadband for Communities Act, sponsored by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) urges the FCC to open "any unused broadcast television spectrum in the band between 72 and 698 megaHertz, inclusive, other than spectrum in the band between 608 and 614 megaHertz, inclusive."• The Wireless Innovation Act, sponsored by Senators George Allen (R-VA) and John Kerry (D-MA), pushes the FCC to create rules enabling unlicensed use of the spectrum between 54Mhz and 698Mhz by year's end.
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 | | Breaking up the spectrum. Seems to me that this might preclude certain uses of the spectrum once analog broadcasts cease (if they ever do...), by "fencing off" sections that could otherwise be contiguous. | |
|  ShootToThrilTell The TruthPremium
join:2004-06-07
Sherman Oaks, CA | ??? Someone hit me over the head......How does this have anything to do with Broadband? | |
|  |  scoobyPremium
join:2001-05-01
Schaumburg, IL
kudos:1 | Re: ??? said by ShootToThril:Someone hit me over the head......How does this have anything to do with Broadband? Umm if its unlicensed it can be used for anything. Broadband could be one of the options. | |
| | | | said by ShootToThril:Someone hit me over the head......How does this have anything to do with Broadband? Heh! If you would have read the article[s]...
quote:
"At a time when the U.S. is lagging behind much of the world in broadband penetration--and more than 60 percent of the country does not subscribe to broadband service primarily because it is either unavailable or unaffordable--our legislation would put this country one step closer to closing the economic digital divide and achieving ubiquitous broadband Internet access throughout America," Allen said in a statement.
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.:: Visit Vin DSL's Web Site | Try Vin DSL's Speed Test | Read Vin DSL's Blog::. | |
| | | ShootToThrilTell The TruthPremium
join:2004-06-07
Sherman Oaks, CA | Re: ??? I only asked to be hit over the head once not Twice:D... but thank you for that, i admit i was to lazy to read this one. | |
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 LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5
2 edits |  2 new bills at odds with Gov't plans to auction off spectrum
quote:
Open television spectrum has long been considered a prize by wireless device makers, but many people thought that the government would hold out until 2009, clear the analog TV stations out of the way, and then auction off the spectrum to the highest bidders.
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| | k_mumm
join:2001-06-14
Laramie, WY | Re: 2 new bills at odds with Gov't plans to auction off spectrum What a joke. Why exactly should we auction this off? The money that the government makes is tiny compared to the uses that smaller companies could gain from keeping it open. If we auction it off the same monopolies that control the airwaves now will control them forever. I live in fear of a world where Clear Channel, Verizon, Sprint, At&t anf a few other megacorps control all wireless spectrum.
Disclaimer: Yes I work for a small WISP | |
| |  wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | said by Linklist:Both of these bills would seem to be at odds with US plans to auction off freed up spectrum to companies for billions of dollars. The news item mention these having broad support in Congress, but given the budget deficit situation, unless there is a change in whose in charge in Congress after the 2006 elections, I suspect neither of these bills has much chance of passage. » arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20···232.html I think that the government will auction of specific frequencies to be licensed, thus limiting their use to only the owners. Opening up unlicensed spectrum on the other hand, will allow users to do as they please (think about wifi, bluetooth, cordless phones, etc. who all use the same frequency for different things).
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Now THATS superfluous!! | |
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| | What else? "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces...."
Porn.
Or a new flavor of WiFi.
Or why not both? | |
|  koolman2Premium
join:2002-10-01
Anchorage, AK | What about GMRS? What happens to GMRS then? It's a perfectly legal, licensed band, which happens to be at and around 462 MHz.
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"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner | |
| | | We need to FREE the airwaves , NOT sell out ! Selling out out to these companies creates only uses for upper income folk.
We need more democratic ownership in our airwaves.
These airwaves DON'T belong to the government.
We NEED a better system of sharing the spectrum like what Wifi does.
»www.greaterdemocracy.org/OpenSpe···FAQ.html | |
| |  RayWPremium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
kudos:1 | Re: We need to FREE the airwaves , NOT sell out ! said by Eric Martin:Selling out out to these companies creates only uses for upper income folk. We need more democratic ownership in our airwaves. These airwaves DON'T belong to the government. We NEED a better system of sharing the spectrum like what Wifi does. Not that I agree with the current trend of spectrum allocations, but democracy on the airwaves? That was tried once upon a time, hence the FCC and equivalents. I wonder who is the real money behind that website you posted?
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. | |
| | | | | Re: We need to FREE the airwaves , NOT sell out ! Evil citizens with free minds ! | |
| | | | | | Re: We need to FREE the airwaves , NOT sell out !
Your minds may be free but your ass and everything else belongs to Bush.(Well his owners anyway).And your stinking airwaves are an asset to be exploted by them as is their divine right.
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| | | | | RayWPremium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
kudos:1 | Re: We need to FREE the airwaves , NOT sell out ! said by madrhino: Your minds may be free but your ass and everything else belongs to Bush.(Well his owners anyway).And your stinking airwaves are an asset to be exploted by them as is their divine right. I like it. When Clinton 'had' the sales, it was ok, when Bush 'does' them, it is wrong.
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. | |
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grantjePremium
join:2003-05-07
Kokomo, IN | My suggestions... #1. Repurpose "Low VHF" Channel 6 spectrum to expand the FM band:
»www.lpfm.ws/news/channel6.php
This will open up more opportunities for local community groups to be heard on the airwaves.
#2. Allow unlicensed use of the remainder of the spectrum for wireless internet access. But prioritize such use to locally owned ISPs, and/or those with national marketshare below 10-20%. Nothing in the previous sentence precludes larger/nonlocal ISPs from using such networks if they fairly compensate the owners, nor does it preclude larger/nonlocal ISPs from setting up their own networks. The idea would be to make sure that the existing ISPs aren't able to monopolize all unlicensed bandwidth in a given geographical area, to the extent that new entrants (big or small) are unable to compete. | |
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