Public Knowledge this week is levying some hard criticism at a new Republican bill the group says would forbid the FCC from allocating any more 'unlicensed' spectrum for WiFi, baby monitors, Bluetooth and other uses (or White Space broadband) unless they give wireless companies the opportunity to buy exclusive licenses first. It's a bill that appears to have been drafted by companies like Fox, AT&T and Verizon, with the intent of potentially killing off White Space broadband technology before it could act as a competitive threat to both wireless broadband and traditional video operations. Says PK's Harold Feld over at his Wet Machine blog:

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Despite the obvious reliance on unlicensed spectrum by Americans every day in the form of everything from wifi to baby monitors to RFID, the current mania for spectrum auction revenues combined with lobbying from companies opposed to the TV white space has put the future of unlicensed spectrum at risk. This is particularly true under the discussion draft circulated by House Republicans last week. That draft would require that before the FCC could allocate any new spectrum for unlicensed use, it would first have to have an auction that would allow companies to buy the spectrum for exclusive use. Only if everyone collectively outbid AT&T or Verizon for unlicensed would the spectrum go to unlicensed use.

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Since AT&T and Verizon already dominate auctions with bottomless wallets, they'd nab the spectrum and potentially squat on it, eliminating its potential on numerous fronts. Uncle Sam likely is engaged in a combination of doing what AT&T and Verizon want, and trying to push Google into the role of bidder to try and jack up the money made from auctions. Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOM notes how the bill goes well beyond just impacting White Space broadband. Ars Technica also has a good piece on the issue. Public Knowledge is launching an action alert here for those against the bill.