WASHINGTON—The FCC has officially amended its rules regarding TV white spaces, expanding the use of spectrum for unlicensed wireless services. The FCC believes that the new rules will allow for the delivery of broadband services in rural and underserved communities while also protecting broadcast TV stations and other licensed services from harmful interference.

The expansion comes as a result of a Report and Order approved by the FCC today, Oct. 27, during its Open Commission Meeting.

With the new rules, the FCC says it will now allow for more flexibility in how wireless services are provided within white spaces, better reflecting technological and geographical realities. This includes increasing the maximum permissible power and antenna height for fixed white space devices operating in “less congested” areas in the TV bands; generally rural and unserved areas, per the FCC. Also, the minimum required separation distances between protected services and entities operating in the band and white space devices operating at the new higher power levels and higher heights above average terrain have been increased in an effort to ensure TV stations and protected from interference.

Additional components to the new rules include permitting higher power mobile operations using white space devices in “less congested” areas within defined geo-fenced areas (school bus routes and farm boundaries) and providing flexibility for new narrowband white space devices in an effort to capitalize on Internet of Things applications.

A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was also adopted to explore whether to modify FCC rules on permitting the use of terrain-based models to determine available TV channels for white space devices.

In the run up to this decision, there had been debate about the potential for interference that may result in expanded unlicensed wireless use of TV white spaces. But the FCC gave broadcasters a victory when they sided with the NAB over the question of allowing higher-powered unlicensed device use on channels adjacent to TV channels.

As a result, NAB praised the effort by the FCC on this decision, as did CTA and Connect Americans Now.

“NAB thanks the FCC for approving an order that would provide greater flexibility for white spaces operations without undermining the fundamental principle that these operations must not cause interference to licensed services, such as radio and TV stations. We commend the commission staff for their hard work on this item and their commitment to a consensus-based approach,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Ann Marie Cumming.

“Today’s vote by the FCC is a victory for those across the country whose lives have been made more difficult from lack of access to a reliable internet connection,” said Jamie Susskind, vice president, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, CTA. “Leveraging TV white spaces for broadband use is an innovative solution that will help families across the United States live better lives—from better access to remote work and education to life saving digital health services and more.”

CAN added: “We commend the FCC for demonstrating bipartisan commitment to maximizing spectrum resources to expand broadband connectivity, a critical need for millions of Americans made more urgent by the pandemic.”

The proposal was adopted unanimously by the FCC commissioners.

WASHINGTON—ONE Media LLC has asked the FCC to consider the impact that the use of white space devices in the broadcast band could have on the deployment of ATSC 3.0 (aka “NextGen TV”). 

The company—a division of Sinclair Broadcast Group focused on NextGen TV—reminded the commission in comments this week that terrestrial over-the-air broadcasting is still a critical asset to the nation’s communications infrastructure. The commission is seeking public comment on the viability of expanding the use of unlicensed devices in unused parts of the broadcast spectrum (aka “white space devices” or WSD).

“Terrestrial broadcast deployment is not frozen in time to the existing licensed stations; the platform is rapidly evolving,” the company said. “To that end, the commission must ensure that broadcasters can use their spectrum to realize the benefits inherent in the transition to ATSC 3.0 fully, while continuing to meet their public interest responsibilities.

“Broadcasters provide significant public interest benefits with their use of licensed channels,” ONE Media added. “The deployment of NextGen TV services promises compelling increases to those public services. The commission should further ensure that all parties—broadcasters, WSD providers and the commission itself—have the practical tools necessary to calculate interference theoretically and in the field.”

As NextGen TV rolls out across the U.S. this year, a number of broadcasters are considering using signal frequency networks (aka “distributed transmission systems”) to expand and improve signal coverage in their markets. As opposed to traditional transmission setups that employ a single transmission site and repeaters to enhance coverage, SFNs use multiple transmitters on the same frequency. 

ONE Media asked the FCC to ensure that WSDs don’t take priority over existing licensed operations, and if they do interfere, the WSDs should cease operations, adding that NextGen TV signals may be especially vulnerable to interference while stations are transitioning to ATSC 3.0 because multiple stations in a market will be cooperating in “co-hosting” local OTA signals. 

“In the ATSC 3.0 transition, some host stations may not be able to handle all signals, which in turn may require these stations to shift to a less robust (but permissible) modulation scheme,” the company wrote. “Under these circumstances, the modified modulation scheme could leave the coverage area more susceptible to interference from WSDs. It is critical that the commission again make clear that even under such circumstances, WSDs remain obligated to prevent harmful interference and cease operations where necessary to do so.”

ONE Media suggested that “at a minimum” the FCC’s TVStudy should be modified to account for WSD registration information available in the TV White Space Database.

“Broadcasters could better predict potential interference if the commission also defines an extension to TVStudy showing benchmark desired-to-undesired ratios (“D/U ratios”),” the company said. 

The FCC also has a separate proceeding seeking public comment on the use of SFNs for terrestrial broadcasting. 

For more information on ATSC 3.0, visit TVT’s hub page on NextGen TV.

WASHINGTON—The move to make TV white spaces available for other users should be done “in the coming months before the end of the year,” according to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) in a letter to the FCC. The senator says that such action is needed to close the digital divide.

In February, the FCC unanimously issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would update the FCC’s rules regarding white spaces—the portions of broadcast television bands that are not used by TV stations—to allow “for more robust service and efficient use of white space devices particularly in rural areas, without increasing the risk of harmful interference to protected services in the TV bands.”

In his letter, Warner says that there are 770,000 Virginians who lack access to broadband, as well as 3.3 million who do not use the internet at broadband speeds, according to figures from the FCC.

“This digital divide impacts nearly every aspect of life for Virginians living without access to broadband, as broadband has become a precondition to meaningful participation in the digital economy,” Warner wrote. “This contrast has become worryingly more stark in the last month, with an unprecedented number of Americans now heavily reliant on broadband access for telework, telehealth and online education.”

The specifics covered in the NPRM for white spaces includes allowing higher transmit power and antenna height above average terrain for fixed white space devices in less congested geographic areas to create greater reach by white space devices. It would also permit higher power mobile operation within defined geographical areas and revise the rules to provide flexibility for these devices to participate in the Internet of Things.

This would allow for affordable, reliable broadband to millions of Americans, according to Warner. The senator points out that Virginia has already run some pilot programs using TV white space and reports they have been an effective tool.

“By clearing regulatory barriers, the commission can enhance the pace, scale and cost-effectiveness of broadband deployments in unserved and underserved rural communities, including through the use of TVWS technology,” wrote Warner. “An innovative, ‘all-the-above’ approach to eliminating broadband gaps has never been more vital.”

At the time the NPRM was issued, NAB shared a statement saying that the proposed rules represented a consensus-based approach to updating the rules, and also hoped that the FCC would move quickly.

WASHINGTON—The FCC has sent the signal that allowing the so-called white spaces between TV channels to be used for fixed and mobile wireless devices are ready for prime time.

That came in a report and order adopted Wednesday, March 20. The FCC also resolved a number of petitions to reconsider (recon) the TV White Spaces Order that initially opened up the spectrum to broadband.

Specifically, the FCC finalized its reconsideration proceeding and its database accuracy proceeding so that broadband providers can invest in rural connectivity.

The FCC is permitting the use of white space devices (notably computers), both fixed and mobile, in unused channels, ch. 37, guard bands between broadcast and wireless spectrum and between uplink and downlink spectrum in the 600 MHz band--which they are sharing after the incentive auction.

It is part of the FCC's focus on freeing up more spectrum for advanced wireless and closing the rural digital divide, which computer companies argue "white spaces" play a key role.

Microsoft, Google and other computer companies on one side and the National Association of Broadcasters on the other have been at loggerheads over the issue. Microsoft has been pushing for as much spectrum as possible, saying that remote sensing technology can seek out and avoid TV channels in real time, preventing the sort of interference NAB said current remote sensing technology has not been proven to provide.

NAB wanted the FCC to vet the sensing technology before opening the floodgates, as it were.

The FCC order does require that white spaces devices include internal geolocation capability, both for outdoor and indoor use, and that the devices automatically provide coordinates to the database that is meant to map out the TV frequencies to avoid.

That is a victory for NAB, which sought the geolocation, and a defeat for Microsoft, which suggested the automatic capability was not necessary. The FCC took a little off it by denying NAB's request that it tighten geolocation accuracy requirements.

“NAB appreciates the FCC’s decision to strengthen its white spaces rules. Requiring automatic geolocation in white spaces devices will help increase accuracy and protect television viewers from harmful interference.”

NAB wanted the FCC to require a wired connection between a remote geolocation source and a fixed white space device, rather than a wireless connection, but the FCC sided with Microsoft on that point, and also said it would not limit the distance between that remote location and the device, something else NAB wanted.

NAB had asked that the FCC require the devices to identify their height above ground, but the FCC declined to do so.

White space device makers have until six months after the rules are adopted to bring their technology in line with the new rules, but the FCC said adding geolocation will require recertification. It was initially going to allow the change without recertification, but concluded that "incorporating an internal geo-location capability into a fixed white space device would necessitate hardware modifications, resulting in a device that is not electrically identical to the originally approved device."

NAB challenged the FCC's decision to allow use of low-power fixed devices within a TV station's contour because the potential for interference is greater than the FCC suggests. The FCC was "not persuaded that permitting such operation poses a significant threat of harmful interference to adjacent channel television reception."

And while NAB wanted the FCC to limit antenna heights to 30 meters, the FCC will allow taller antennas in areas of less congestion.

“We are excited to see the Commission using its authority to remove regulatory barriers so that every American can participate in the digital economy," said ACT-The App Association president Morgan Reed. "Today’s action furthers the FCC’s unfettered commitment to bridging the digital divide and will better position the United States as a leader in the networked economy. Our membership represents small to medium-sized app developers across all 435 congressional districts. In particular, many of our members are located in rural areas that traditional networks cannot reach. TVWS-enabled wireless connectivity, along with all the Commission’s work related to wireless infrastructure deployment, will allow these small businesses to grow and contribute to local economies.”

“This action shows that the Commission has been listening to the concerns of rural Americans, and we appreciate their continued commitment to bridging the rural broadband gap," said Connect Americans Now executive director Richard Cullen. "While this vote is a step in the right direction for internet service providers and equipment manufacturers eager to use TV white spaces technology to bring broadband to rural areas, there are still a number of outstanding regulatory barriers.

"“We encourage the Commission to build on this momentum by immediately issuing a Further Notice of Rulemaking to address the outstanding regulatory issues hindering TV white space technology’s deployment." 

CHELMSFORD, MASS.—The completion of the FCC’s spectrum auction could prove to be a boom for TV white space deployments in the U.S., per the WhiteSpace Alliance (WSA).

According to WSA, the completion of the incentive auction will free up more than 80 MHz of spectrum for license-exempt wireless internet access. “This newly available spectrum will support additional digital infrastructure development across the United States, and help foster the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” said Dr. Apurva N. Mody, chairman of WhiteSpace Alliance.

White space technology use available TV band spectrum to deliver fixed wireless broadband services at distances up to 30 km, which makes it useful for rural or remote areas. TV white space can also support current and emerging infrastructure applications, including machine-to-machine communications, IIoT, Smart Grid deployment and industrial automation.

“Making sufficient spectrum available to the marketplace is the final step needed to unleash a critical mass of innovative services,” said Dr. Mody. “WSA will continue to work actively with the Federal Communications Committee to evaluate and shape regulations for TV band white spaces.”