New superfast wireless broadband device prototype submitted to FCC
While the Federal Communications Commission moves ahead with planning for the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction, the White Space Coalition has submitted a second prototype white space wireless broadband device to the FCC for testing.
Context & Ripple Effects
This is round two in a test sequence the FCC began two months ago, when it started evaluating a device designed to deliver high-speed Internet over unused TV airwaves — the first web-over-airwaves prototype went into the lab in March 2007. The agency has said it will release findings in July on whether those vacant channels can carry broadband, so each submitted prototype tightens the evidence base for that ruling.
The timing matters because the same airwaves sit at the center of a second proceeding: the FCC is preparing to auction prime 700MHz spectrum vacated by the analog TV shutdown planned for 2009. If the White Space Coalition's devices prove they can operate without interfering with broadcasts, unlicensed use becomes a live alternative alongside whatever carriers pay at auction.
First-order effects
- FCC lab engineers now have two competing prototypes to validate, making interference performance — not lobbying claims — the deciding input for the July findings on unused TV airwaves.
- The White Space Coalition moves from proposal to demonstrable hardware, strengthening its case against broadcasters who argue the devices will disrupt over-the-air television.
Second-order effects
- Prospective 700MHz auction bidders must price in the possibility that adjacent unlicensed white-space service dilutes the scarcity value of licensed spectrum they are about to bid on.
- Wireless broadband equipment makers gain a potential new product category keyed to the FCC's test results, while TV broadcasters face pressure to document concrete interference cases if they want the testing halted.
Third-order effects
- If the July findings clear the prototypes, the FCC establishes a template — prove non-interference through certified devices, then open fallow spectrum to unlicensed use — that could govern how future federal bands are shared rather than exclusively licensed.
- A favorable outcome would push US broadband competition beyond the carrier duopoly structure, letting new entrants ride television's retired airwaves instead of building licensed networks from scratch.
The trend: Spectrum policy is shifting from exclusive licensed auctions toward tested, device-certified sharing of fallow broadcast airways, with the FCC's 700MHz auction and white-space trials advancing in parallel.