The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is going on tour.
The agency's lineup might not be as exciting as any of the summer concert tours to which you may have procured tickets, but for Internet companies like Google and Microsoft, the FCC's upcoming white spaces field tests could have a major impact on their ability to provide wireless broadband services.
The FCC on Thursday released the locations for four weeks of upcoming device tests throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
The commission on January 24 kicked off a four-to-six week lab test of equipment that will allow ISPs to access spectrum known as “white spaces." They are now moving from the labs to real-world testing, starting the week of July 14.
When broadcasters shift from analog to digital signals in February 2009, there will be open, unregulated spectrum between the digital channels, or white spaces, that Internet companies like Google and Microsoft want to use for wireless broadband service. Broadcasters, however, believe that allowing access to this spectrum could disrupt TV signals.
The agency's lineup might not be as exciting as any of the summer concert tours to which you may have procured tickets, but for Internet companies like Google and Microsoft, the FCC's upcoming white spaces field tests could have a major impact on their ability to provide wireless broadband services.
The FCC on Thursday released the locations for four weeks of upcoming device tests throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
The commission on January 24 kicked off a four-to-six week lab test of equipment that will allow ISPs to access spectrum known as “white spaces." They are now moving from the labs to real-world testing, starting the week of July 14.
When broadcasters shift from analog to digital signals in February 2009, there will be open, unregulated spectrum between the digital channels, or white spaces, that Internet companies like Google and Microsoft want to use for wireless broadband service. Broadcasters, however, believe that allowing access to this spectrum could disrupt TV signals.
