A coalition of technology companies, public-interest advocates, think tanks and higher education organizations launched an alliance designed to work with the Federal Communications Commission and other policymakers to develop regulations that will enable the use of television "white space" for broadband services. White space is the unused spectrum that sits between airwaves licensed to television broadcasters.
The Wireless Innovation Alliance's 15 members include Google, Microsoft, HP and Dell. Those are the same names that have been involved with the While Space Coalition, which earlier this year delivered to the FCC two WiFi devices the group claimed operated in this spectrum without interfering with high-definition TV. However, the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology found through preliminary trials of the prototypes that "the transmitter in the prototype device is capable of causing interference to TV broadcasting and wireless microphones."
Google recently presented results of an "initial phase of ongoing trials" around white space technology it says demonstrates digital televisions and wireless services can exist side-by-side without interference.
To read more about the Wireless Innovation Alliance:
- check out this release