Re: Your comments appreciated: Beyond White Spaces

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: WWWhatsup <joly () punkcast com>
Date: October 24, 2008 5:05:00 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Your comments appreciated: Beyond White Spaces


>

The NYC Council Tech Committee recently held a hearing on the White  
Space topic
after being lobbied by Broadway Theater interests - who oppose the  
introduction of new networking
devices on the grounds they will interfere with their wireless  
microphones - to adopt a resolution
urging the FCC to withhold their approval for such devices.

While representatives of mainstream TV and microphone manufacturers  
supported the resolution, there
was, in an odd pairing, opposition from Motorola, Microsoft, and  
several grassroots advocacy groups
including Common Cause, and nycWireless.

The manufacturers of the new white space devices are bring forced to  
build into them technology that
will sense and avoid conflicts with existing analog devices. The FCC  
has carried out tests
at a Broadway Theater and Fedex Field that's results do not appear to  
be conclusive.

As I understand it there seem to be three suggested solutions to the  
problem.
1) Reserving a sizable chunk of spectrum for legacy wireless analog  
devices
2) Beaconing - analog users beam an extra strong signal on channels used
3) Geolocation - a central database is created which devices refer to  
before selecting channels.

I'd be particularly interested in informed comments on the technical  
arguments raised by David Donovan in
Panel#3 about interference with HDTV.

His argument was that while the better propagation properties of the  
frequencies involved are
well suited to rural areas with spectrum to spare, those same  
properties render such devices
totally impracticable for urban environments.

The grassroots groups see them as a prime method to bring affordable  
connectivity to the urban underserved.

I videotaped the hearing.

Audio is at http://punkcast.com/1438/1438_white_spaces.mp3

Video is at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1027F10BB97869DF
(Note the first segment is listed last)

Comments to the NYC Council can  be posted on
http://nycbroadband.blogspot.com/2008/09/white-spaces-hearing-webcast.html


Regards

joly




Joly MacFie
212 608 1334
http://wwwhatsup.com
http://punkcast.com
http://pinstand.com





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