Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Broadcasters Wary Of Wireless Broadband Rules

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2004 15:00:11 -0400

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.
© 2004, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
Rights Reserved. 
 
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA421983?text=broadcasters+wary+of+wireless+broadband+rules&stt=001

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/61FxlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/