RF Shorts - Aug. 30, 2012

Gogo In-Flight Internet Expands to Canada

Techcrunch.com writer Peter Ha reports Gogo Granted Spectrum Approval In Canada, Will Take Flight In 2013. He says, “Gogo announced today that it has been granted a subordinate spectrum license in Canada. (They’ve leased spectrum from SkySurf, in case you were wondering.) Cell site construction will begin in the last quarter of this year and will the system will operate on the same frequency as Gogo’s existing network in the United States. Rollout of the ATG (air-to-ground) service is expected sometime towards the end of 2013. 

The service uses frequencies in the 800 MHz band and EV-DO Rev. B technology similar that used by cell phone companies for 3G wireless. Gogo'a new ATG-4 technology uses directional antennas allowing speeds up to 9.8 Mbps.

Dish Nixes FCC Plan to Shift AWS/MSS Spectrum

On Fiercewireless.com, Phil Goldstein reports on a Dish Network FCC filing after a meeting between Zachary Katz, chief of staff for FCC Chairman Genachowski, and Jeffrey Blum, Dish's senior vice president and deputy general counsel where Dish urged the FCC not to shift its satellite spectrum holdings. Dish holds mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum at 2000-2020 MHz and 2180-2200 MHz. The FCC is considering shifting the 2000-2020 MHz spectrum up by 5 MHz as part of its AWS-4 rulemaking that would allow some satellite spectrum to be repurposed for terrestrial use. 

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.