Broadband in the "white spaces" going global?
January 9th, 2009 | Published in Google Public Policy
The FCC is taking its work on "white spaces" global. This morning FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced the "White Spaces Fellowship and Training Initiative," giving the Commission a new platform to share advice and insights into "white spaces" with international regulators and spectrum experts.
This comes on the heels of the FCC's unanimous vote to open the spectrum to unlicensed use here in the U.S. There are still some important technical hurdles to clear before better and faster wireless Internet connections can be brought to American consumers -- such as a more flexible approach to power levels -- but overall the Commission established the right framework.
Kudos to the Chairman for taking these steps to expand the promise of these airwaves to Internet users worldwide. Google looks forward to supporting the FCC's new initiative as a way to help bring high-speed wireless Internet access to everyone, everywhere.