Too Little Room in White Space

Google, Others Wanted to Use TV Band for Portable Devices

A group of companies including Microsoft and Google had hoped to convince regulators that some new devices could carry high-speed Internet connections over television airwaves without interfering with broadcast signals.

But it didn't work as planned, according to a report released this week by the Federal Communications Commission. After four months of testing, the agency concluded that the devices either interfered with TV signals or could not detect them in order to skirt them.

Now the coalition of companies backing the devices, which includes Dell, Intel, EarthLink, Hewlett-Packard and Philips, is going back to the drawing board, possibly to redesign the devices and meet with FCC engineers to explore other options.

The FCC said Tuesday that it would continue experimenting with such devices, which use vacant TV frequencies.

The companies' goal is to find a way to use the idle TV spectrum, known as white space, to carry Internet service to rural areas, homes and offices without relying on existing wireless carriers. Such devices would be embedded in laptops or cellphones. Proponents of the technology argue that an Internet service using TV spectrum could be less expensive and more accessible, forcing other high-speed Internet service providers to drop their prices.

The FCC's recent findings are a setback for the companies hoping the TV airwaves could be used with portable consumer devices that could send information to a wider audience. The companies said in a written statement that they "remain confident that unlicensed television spectrum can be used without interference."

The airwaves will be available when TV broadcasters move to digital signals in early 2009. The FCC must balance the technology companies' interests with those of broadcasters, sports leagues, cable operators and phone companies that have expressed concern that their signals might cross, causing fuzzy reception, dropped calls or blank TV screens.

The signals could also interfere with other uses of the white space, such as transmitting wireless signals from microphones on the set of Broadway shows, or between a quarterback and a coach.

"The test results prove that portable unlicensed devices should not be allowed to operate in TV spectrum," said Mark Brunner, senior director of brand management at Shure Inc., which makes wireless microphones and other audio equipment. "I think it reflects the technical challenge of cooperating in this spectrum."

Analysts said the technology is promising, particularly if it proves to be cheaper and helps extend high-speed Internet access to rural areas.

It is not unlike WiFi technology, which also uses unregulated airwaves, in that it could be deployed cheaply and easily, said Julie Ask, an analyst for Jupiter Research.

The potential downside, however, is that too much traffic could clog the airwaves, reducing the quality of the Internet connection. And embedding a white-space-enabled radio chip in every consumer device could drive up costs, Ask said.

"The more refined it has to be, the more expensive it will become," she said. "The service itself sounds reasonable. The question is at what cost."