WASHINGTON—Both wireless mic and Microsoft folks are staking out claims in the shrinking TV band. Sennheiser’s director of Spectrum Affairs, Joe Ciaudelli, visited the Federal Communications Commission on April 11, urging each of the commissioner’s to “finalize its intent to reserve at least one UHF white-space channel in each market, post-auction repacking.”
Not to be out-lobbied, the Microsoft legal and regulatory team “spoke telephonically with Chairman [Ajit] Pai and Rachel Bender, his acting wireless advisor,” three days later, to chat about its support for network neutrality, its 4,100-miles trans-Atlantic undersea cable project with Facebook, and “allocating sufficient spectrum for unlicensed broadband use in the 600 MHz and TV bands.”
To be clear, white spaces are unoccupied frequencies, while unlicensed spectrum is exactly that—it requires no hefty licensing fees such as the $19.8 billion paid by wireless providers for TV channels 38-51 in the recently completed incentive auction. Neither does unlicensed spectrum have build-out conditions or specific operational requirements outside of non-interference with licensed operators.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, “discussed the importance of designating at least three unlicensed channels in each market in the 600 MHz and television bands,” for rural broadband as well as ongoing development of white-space technology, which has been commercialized for approximately seven years but has not reached wide deployment. (According to a May 1, 2015 filing submitted by the National Association of Broadcasters, only 600 such devices were operating nationwide five years after FCC authorization.)
Smith said Microsoft and its partners were providing white-space broadband “to the homes of previously unconnected students in rural Southern Virginia. This single project will serve 7,500 primary and secondary school students when the system is fully deployed.”
Before the incentive auction was held, two 6 MHz channels were designated for wireless microphones, which are used in everything from school plays to the Super Bowl, in houses of worship and on Broadway. Auction rules relegated wireless mics to shared buffer zones between wireless up- and downlink bands, as well as vacant TV channels in a given market. The commission subsequently proposed to reserve at least one channel in each market for wireless mics, but no such rule has been finalized.
Generally, advocates of unlicensed spectrum—Microsoft and Google among others—claim there is no need to reserve channels and that white-space technology can play nice with other devices. Wireless mic makers disagree, and the NAB has urged the FCCto clean up the database system devised to prevent interference from white-space devices.
In the ex parte filing describing his meeting with the commissioners, Ciaudelli said, “The duplex gap and the guard band are not reliable enough to operate mission critical microphones. Licensed (FCC Part 74) professional production engineers require clean UHF in their spectrum ‘toolbox’ for their hyper-critical wireless microphones. The reserved white-space channel will be a vital tool, provided it can be reliably reserved by professionals in the database system for interference protection from unlicensed devices.”
Ciaudelli also filed a fact sheet for owners and operators of wireless mics, who will have to retool and/or replace microphones tuned to the repurposed frequencies between 614 and 698 MHz.
“About half of existing UHF wireless microphone equipment will likely be rendered obsolete, or will require modification—if allowed; a decision from the FCC is pending,” it stated.
Also see…
Feb. 22, 2017
“FCC OK’s First Unlicensed LTE in 5 GHz”
The FCC this morning announced that it had “just authorized the first LTE-U—LTE for unlicensed—devices in the 5 GHz band.” This was according to a tweet from @FCC on Twitter, and soon after, a rare blog post from Julius Knapp, chief of the FCC Office of Engineering & Technology.
Nov. 21, 2016
“NAB Urges FCC to Act on White Space Geolocation”
The problem, according to the NAB, is that the FCC’s database system for keeping track of white-space devices doesn’t work, so in the event these devices cause interference to TV signals, broadcasters won’t be able to track them down.
Aug. 12, 2015
“Where Wireless Mics Go Next”
The move leaves wireless mics without dedicated spectrum for the first time. The FCC tried to mitigate the impact by loosening up the rules for operations.
July 22, 2015
“NAB and White Space Device Makers Agree on Geolocation”
“NAB and the TV band device manufacturers recommend that all TV band devices incorporate automatic geolocation capability or be under the control of a device that includes that capability,” the parties wrote in a joint letter to Julius Knapp, chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology.
June 24, 2015
“Wireless Mic Squeeze: Q&A With Sennheiser’s Joe Ciaudelli”
White-space device deployment to date has been limited to a few hundred fixed devices. No personal portable white-space devices have been introduced. If they are, it is unrealistic to believe that consumers using them would proactively prevent interference in the same manner as wireless microphone operators do with their gear.
June 15, 2015
“Unlicensed 3.5 GHz LTE Explored”
Regulators are trying to circumvent potential problems with LTE-U, a version of the cellular transmission standard intended for unlicensed use.
May 29, 2015
“FCC Proposal Creates White-Space Divide”
May 4, 2015
“NAB to FCC: TV Licensees Should Trump White Space Devices”
March 19, 2015
“NAB Petitions FCC to Shut Down White Space Database”
March 19, 2015
“Google White Space Database Registered Fixed Devices”
January 15, 2014
“FCC Certifies Carlson Wireless TV White Space Radio”
November 14, 2013
“FCC Certifies Adaptrum Technology With Google TV White Space Database”
September 16, 2013
“FCC Grants Adjacent-Channel Waiver for Meld White Space Device”
March 4, 2013
“White Space Databases Go Live Nationwide”
January 23, 2013
“Tokyo Group Unveils Regional TV White Space Prototype”
December 6, 2012
“White Space Databases to Go Live Next Month”
October 18, 2012
“White Space Wi-Fi Draft Standard Prototype Developed”
June 4, 2012
“Theater and Sports Groups Drop Request for White Space Rules Review”
May 3, 2012
“NAB Drops Court Challenge of White Spaces”
March 27, 2012
“Telcordia Gets Cleared to Manage White Spaces”
February 29, 2012
“Key Bridge Launches Preliminary White Space Portal”
November 24, 2008
“White Spaces Deal is Done”
January 31, 2012
“White Spaces: Telcordia Says It Can Find Them”
December 5, 2011
“FCC To Commence Second White Space Database Trial Wednesday”
November 10, 2011
“FCC Seeks Comment on Spectrum Bridge White Space Trial”
September 14, 2011
“Spectrum Bridge Is First of 10 To Test White Space Database”
July 27, 2011
“IEEE Publishes White Space Standard for Broadband”
June 29, 2011
“Microsoft White Space Partner Neul Raises $12.8 Million”
June 27, 2011
“Microsoft Angles for Lighter U.S. White Space Rules with U.K. Trial”
June 22, 2011
“Microsoft Nudges FCC to Wrap White Spaces”
May 2, 2011
“Microsoft Wants to Manage TV White Spaces”
January 27, 2011
“TV White Space Database Managers Named”
December 6, 2010
“White Space Rules Go Into Effect Jan. 5, 2011”
September 27, 2010
“SPECIAL REPORT: FCC White Space Rules”
September 27, 2010
“Nine Vie to Manage White Space Database”
September 23, 2010
“FCC Eliminates Spectrum Sensing for White Space Devices”
September 16, 2010
“Carlin Could Curse in TV White Spaces”
September 15, 2010
“Ohio Hospital Launches White Space Broadband Trial”
September 8, 2010
“FCC to Issue Second White Spaces Order”
August 18, 2010
“Broadcasters Urge FCC to Retain White Space Spectrum-Sensing Requirement”
August 2, 2010
“FCC Denies MSTV’s Request for White Spaces Documents”
June 23, 2010
“Google Supports White Space Smart Grid Trial”
April 22, 2010
“Wireless Group Asks FCC to Relax White Space Rules”
April 21, 2010
“Input Sought for White Spaces Book”
March 26, 2010
“TV White Space Experimental Licenses Granted”
February 24, 2010
“Wilmington Tests WiFi in White Spaces”
January 4, 2010
“White Space Database Manager Proposals Due”
November 18, 2009
“British Regulator Open White Spaces”
October 22, 2009
“Virginia Town Exemplifies White Space Usage”
October 12, 2009
“FCC Grants Microsoft White Space Licenses”
March 3, 2009
“Broadcasters Asks Court to Nix FCC White Space Order”
February 23, 2009
“White Space Locater Launched”
