Submit Your Article
Seven well-known technology companies have announced they are working together to create a white spaces database to manage the use of the vacant television broadband spectrum, commonly referred to as TV white spaces.
Founding members of the White Spaces Database Group include Comsearch, Dell, Google, HP, Microsoft, Motorola, and NeuStar.
In November 2008, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved the use of white spaces spectrum by unlicensed devices. White spaces devices will be required to access a white spaces database to determine available channels in the area. After eight months of rigorous laboratory and field-testing, the Commission established geo-location based methods that can detect television signals and prevent interference.
Google says it will lobby for the database to be open on its Public Policy Blog. “In the coming weeks and months, members of the group will be offering to the Commission their perspectives, and some specific recommendations, about the technical requirements we would like to see adopted for the database.”
“Many of these specifications ultimately will be heavily technical; put simply, we’ll advocate for data formats and protocols that are open and non-proprietary, with database administration that is also open and non-exclusive.”
Google says it does not plan on becoming a database administrator, but it will work with the FCC to make sure that a white spaces database gets up and running. Google says it hopes the database will be functional in a matter of months rather than years.
Topics: Database, Programming
