Internet firms are still trying to get permission to operate unlicensed devices in the spectrum cracks between broadcast television stations, and the NAB is still putting its biggest and strongest defensive lineman in their path to make sure the line of scrimmage does not move. In its latest proposal, Google is proposing additional signal sensing equipment to make sure such devices do not cause harmful interference to spectrum incumbents. NAB said it was glad to see Google admit that additional safeguards were required from previous white space proposals, but that such devices were far from being proven commodities.
RBR/TVBR observation: The good news is that the whole white space controversy seems to have stalled sufficiently to assure that the DTV transition will be well under way before any meaningful decisions are made. Until that critical hurdle is cleared, it is simply ridiculous to seriously consider any other uses for the spectrum.
