Last week a press release from the National Association of Broadcasters claimed that a white spaces device created by Microsoft had lost power and failed during FCC tests. Now, the White Spaces Coalition, which includes Microsoft, Philips, Dell and Google has informed the Washington Post that NAB's release was untrue and that the device is still in tests at the FCC.
Tech advisor to the White Spaces Coalition Ed Thomas said that NAB was engaging in "rhetoric" in an attempt to complicate the testing process. "Let this be based on science, not politics," Thomas said.
The White Spaces Coalition aims to gain FCC approval for devices that use unlicensed spectrum found between television spectrum, but the NAB and others in the television industry fear that such devices will interfere with TV signals. The FCC is testing the devices right now to determine if that is the case.
For more on the tests:
- read this article from the Washington Post
- more on the drama over at FierceBroadbandWireless