The FCC did not approve a "first-round prototype device" that Google, Microsoft and others have developed to run over unused TV spectrum, or white spaces. The companies want to broadcast high-speed Internet in the spectrum. The FCC rejected the device because it said it couldn't detect the unused airwaves consistently. The commission also worried the device would interfere with TV signals. The FCC reiterated its desire to figure out a way to use the unused spectrum. Dell, HP, Intel, Earthlink and Philips Electronics North America are also working on the device with Google and Microsoft.
For more on the prototype:
- read this WirelessWeek article