Comments on: White Space and Gray Matter

By: Communications Insights: Trends and Cool Stuff » Blog Archive » TV White Spaces and the Tragedy of the Commons

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:39:41 +0000

[...] have already sent letters in expressing concern.” Well, as I wrote in a previous entry on Cool Stuff, at least one of those 70 letters is total bunk. Nonetheless, the cost to all of society of [...]

By: Communications Insights: Trends and Cool Stuff » Blog Archive » Kudos to Jerrold Nadler

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:03:42 +0000

[...] a recent Cool Stuff, I lambasted Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D. NY) for a really stupid Op-Ed on the TV White Spaces he [...]

By: Chuck Jackson

Chuck Jackson — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:16:19 +0000

Ken Carter comments on Congressman Nadler’s observations on unlicensed use of the TV White Space. He concludes:
“Insight: People, I cannot stress this enough, use your gray matter before you talk about the white space.”

I suspect that Rep. Nadler did use his gray matter-after cogitating a while he came up with comments that represent important interests in NYC, such as Broadway and the Giants, that will loose if proponents of unlicensed use of the white space, such as Microsoft, have their way.

Not surprisingly, the congressman whose district encompasses Redmond Washington sees things differently. See http://www.house.gov/inslee/issues/technology/inslee_pushes_for_broadband.html
or http://tinyurl.com/2cceh2

Ken also suggested that the white spaces might be used for wireless internet access. Such use on an extensive basis is extremely unlikely if unlicensed use is allowed in the white space. The laws of physics and economics mean that short-range unlicensed devices will crowd out long range systems except in areas where population density is quite low. If you want this spectrum to serve public safety, internet access, or mobile services, urge the FCC to grant overlay licenses of the white space the way they did in BRS and SMR.

Chuck Jackson
Disclosure: I have consulted on the TV white space issue for QUALCOMM-a firm that manufactures electronics that are used in both licensed and unlicensed (802.11) wireless systems.

For more details, see the TPRC paper that Dorothy Robyn and I did. http://web.si.umich.edu/tprc/archive-search-abstract.cfm?PaperID=712
or
http://tinyurl.com/2n53ga

By: admin

admin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:56:59 +0000

David Isenberg writes:

Nadler’s Clueless Op-Ed
Representative Nadler (D-NY) had an incredibly clueless op-ed on TV White Space last week in the New York Times. To the Times’ vast discredit, they ran it. It was so wrong on so many levels that I didn’t know where to begin critiquing it, so I didn’t. Besides, it was a busy blogging week with F2C and FISA.

Thank goodness that (former FCC staffer) Kenneth Carter has now effectively taken Nadler’s op-ed down. Carter poignantly concludes:

The future of spectrum policy will not be about “scarecity” or “interference” so much as it will be about coordination of use.

Insight: People, I cannot stress this enough, use your gray matter before you talk about the white space.

Recommended: Read the whole thing.

http://isen.com/blog/2008/02/nadler-clueless-op-ed.html

Technorati Tags: FCC, NewYorkTimes, Press, Spectrum, video, WirelessNetworks