Broadcasters Wary

[Gregg Lengling]

Broadcasters Wary
Of Wireless Broadband Rules

 
Broadcasters worry that proposed
rules will increase interference and
hurt HDTV commercial viability.
 

By Mark Rockwell
June 1, 2004
Wireless Week


 
WASHINGTON

A new federal effort to unleash wireless broadband technology could severely interfere with digital television and affect wireless carriers' hopes to move to new spectrum, broadcast industry officials say.

In mid-May, the FCC proposed new rules that would allow a new class of unlicensed devices to transmit in unoccupied and unused TV spectrum. Wireless Internet service providers (WISPs), or other service providers, could transmit signals over "personal/portable" unlicensed devices such as Wi-Fi cards in laptop computers or in-home local area networks (LANs), or through higher-powered, fixed-access unlicensed transmitters operated from a central location.

The commission hopes the new rules will open yet another avenue to get broadband capabilities out to the public. It says the proposed rules could foster the rise of a new breed of broadband provider, even allowing broadcast TV providers to offer wireless Internet access services. The rules would put a substantial amount of TV spectrum in play in many metropolitan areas, but also could significantly affect rural areas, where over-the-air TV stations are uncommon and more spectrum goes unused, according to the commission. Spectrum availability would vary greatly, depending upon how many licensed TV broadcasters are in a particular area and how far a potential service provider is from a broadcaster's antenna using the same spectrum.

The problem with the FCC's latest effort, broadcasters say, is that it basically trips over other goals the commission has set for spectrum reform. The effort could wind up slowing broadcasters' migration from analog technology to digital. The migration is designed to free up spectrum for use by wireless carriers.

The conversion to digital technology will be complete, according to FCC rules, when 85 percent of the U.S. population is capable of receiving a digital signal, or 2006, whichever comes first.

It's the potential for interference that haunts broadcasters when it comes to spectrum reform, especially at a transition time for that industry. Broadcasters have invested heavily in high definition signals and they are banking on consumers buying new digital and HDTV sets to receive those signals. "What happens when your neighbor fires up his new Wi-Fi-enabled laptop and fries your brand new digital TV set?" asks David Donovan, president of Maximum Service Television, a Washington D.C.-based lobbying group for over-the-air broadcasters.

The new rules are well-intended in attempting to push out new broadband access, Donovan says, but the numerous unanswered questions could prove dangerous. "This could slow down the DTV transition," he says. "There's no way to police interference." Also, almost anyone who can afford a base station can provide unlicensed services.

Even though Donovan and other broadcasters see the need for more avenues for broadband access technologies, they believe any attempt to use blank broadcast spectrum should wait until after the digital transition is complete.
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