Remember when the NAB had all it could do to keep unlicensed wireless devices out of circulation before the technology was proven safe and while television broadcasters had their hands more than full trying to pull off the DTV conversion? Now broadcasters are trying to hold on to spectrum period, forget about white spaces, and the devices are on the endangered species list.
Just as broadcasters are asking the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to tread easy when it comes to spectrum auctions, so two are white space advocates, who fear that their pet projects will be swept away in a wave of telco lobbying and legislative thirst for auction cash.
According to Hillicon Valley, a coalition of concerned entities have fired off a letter to the committee. It touts unlicensed spectrum in the TV band as “…a powerful catalyst for innovation and job creation.” It says that will continue, if the service is allowed to survive.
Google, Microsoft and watchdog Public Knowledge are among those trying to preserved unlicensed spectrum.
They argue that the space is needed to push America to the forefront of digital innovation. If it goes away, they predict that the United States will become a second-tier nation when it comes to technical innovation.
RBR-TVBR observation: Watch out for Google and Microsoft – they are giants with tons of money and money talks in Washington, DC. We wonder if the NAB is equiped to take on these giants. Plus these giants are using all the buzz words like ‘job creation’.
