Google Wants FCC To Consider 'White Space' Spectrum For Handset Broadband

Google on Monday outlined a new effort to put its considerable clout behind using the so-called "white spaces" in the wireless spectrum to create another wireless broadband delivery vehicle for consumers.

Richard Whitt, Google's Washington telecom and media counsel, said the company's Android handset effort could result in handsets for the white spaces as early as December 2009. The white spaces refer to largely unused spectrum that resides next to broadcast TV spectrum.

Whitt said he envisioned a sort of community approach to the use of the white spaces similar to the way Wi-Fi is currently used. "We view it (white spaces) as a big tent," he said in a conference Monday.

His comments came less than a week after the conclusion of the Federal Communications Commission's 700 MHz auction, which was dominated by mobile phone service providers Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Google didn't win any licenses in the 700 MHz auction, but it was successful in its earlier effort to encourage the FCC to set aside spectrum for the open use of interchangeable devices and services on part of the 700 MHz band.

In a letter filed Friday with the FCC, Whitt said: "The vast majority of viable spectrum in this country simply goes unused, or else is grossly underutilized. Our nation typically uses only about 5% of one of our most precious resources... The unique qualities of the TV white space -- unused spectrum, large amounts of bandwidth, and excellent propagation characteristics -- offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans."

To date, the white space spectrum has suffered from complaints about possible interference and connection problems, but Whitt indicated Google was confident the problems could be overcome. The company proposes the use of geo-location measures to protect broadcast TV and $10 beacons to protect wireless microphones as solutions to potential problems with white space spectrum. Whitt said tests using the beacons have shown the approach to be "almost foolproof."

"We are proposing a 'safe harbor' for wireless microphones in channels 36-38," he wrote in the FCC letter. "No TV white space device would be permitted to transmit in these channels. This will also protect medical telemetry devices and radio astronomy services, which are licensed to use channel 37."

The idea of using the white space spectrum has been endorsed also by Microsoft and Intel among others, but has been opposed by broadcast TV interests. Whitt said any device without geo-location and database access would not transmit unless it obtains a "permission to transmit" signal.

Whitt also raised another hurdle: "politics as usual." While he didn't cite potential opponents by name, he noted that "some cellular carriers" want to see the white space relegated to backhaul usage.

Whitt suggested white space networks could be built on mesh or peer-to-peer architectures and he noted that the propagation features of the technology are so favorable that relatively few towers would be necessary. It could be established on a nationwide basis and could be operating by the end of 2009.