The FCC voted unanimously for using the white space frequencies between TV signals for unlicensed wireless access. The new law will let anyone develop devices that can operate at long range without having to get permission, giving them a form of ‘super’ Wi-Fi that could connect devices even when well outside of the home. Google and Microsoft were major forces behind getting the FCC to make this law. Dell, Motorola, Nokia and others have all expressed interest in the technology.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was confident the move would “unleash American ingenuity” by creating devices and services that hadn’t been previously expected. Apart from handhelds and notebooks, it could lead to public wireless hotspots that need only one access point to cover an entire area or speed up rural Internet coverage by reaching small neighborhoods with wireless.
Practical use of white space may take as much as two years, since companies will both need to develop the initial tech and have it integrated into finished products.
