Lawmakers Move to Make FCC Allow Broader Wireless Net

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Lawmakers Move to Make FCC Allow Broader Wireless Net
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 16:30:34 -0500
From: Randall <rvh40 () insightbb com>
To: Dave <dave () farber net>, Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>,
      cyberia <CYBERIA-L () LISTSERV AOL COM>

http://htdaw.blogsource.com/post.mhtml?post_id=257883

Lawmakers Move to Make FCC Allow Broader Wireless Net
Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 4:27 PM EST
 Lawmakers Move to Make FCC Allow Broader Wireless Net
by Catherine Komp

Feb. 22 – Typically costing $30-50 a month, high speed internet access
remains out of financial reach for many people in the US. But advocates
for more affordable Internet access hope that new legislation will
eventually lead to lower prices.

Hailed by consumer advocates and progressive media activists, the
Wireless Innovation (Winn) Act of 2006 would open up additional public
spectrum for wireless Internet use.

The Winn Act, introduced by Senator George Allen (R-Virginia), would
require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to release unused or
unassigned parts of the broadcast spectrum, also known as "white
spaces," for wireless computer networking use. The bill is co-sponsored
by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California), John Sununu (R-New Hampshire)
and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts). A similar bill, the American Broadband
for Communities Act, was also introduced last week by Senate Commerce
Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Arkansas).

"Instead of just talking about it, we need to make affordable broadband
a reality everywhere," Kerry said in a statement.

The Winn Act would require the FCC to permit unlicensed use of
unassigned broadcast spectrum between 54MHz and 698 MHz within 180 days
of enactment. This part of the spectrum is generally used by television
broadcasters, and the unused portions between TV channels broadcasting
in a given area is known as "white space."

Supporters of the bills say that liberating "white spaces" – which
constitute half or more of the spectrum in many places – will decrease
the number of antennas needed to cover an area, potentially reducing
costs even while providing faster data-transmission speeds.

According to the media-focused activist organization Free Press, the 108
Mhz part of the spectrum is key in expanding wireless internet service
to rural areas because it allows signals to penetrate obstacles, like
walls and mountains, and to move long distances.

Consumer groups also praise the legislation, saying that too many people
have little or no choice in high-speed providers or have been left
without access altogether. They believe the bill will advance more
competition in a market that is mainly controlled by telephone and cable
giants.

"Without broadband Internet access and other wireless services,
Americans in rural and underserved urban areas will continue to be
stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide," wrote Jeannie Kelley
of the Consumers Union and Ben Scott of Free Press in a letter to
Senator Allen.

Though the bills have many supporters, some broadcasting organizations
are staunchly opposed and have argued that studies looking at possible
interference issues have not been conclusive. In testimony before the
FCC, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) said that unlicensed
use of the spectrum will cause "harmful interference" to TV
broadcasters.

But critics respond that this is a tactic to "warehouse" spectrum that
TV broadcasters will later claim for their own use. They note that the
NAB led the fight to prevent low-power radio stations from gaining
access to unused spectrum on the FM band, using the same claim about
terrible interference. The NAB then helped to develop digital radio
technology that allowed FM broadcasters to double their spectrum
capacity.

Wireless broadband allows Internet service providers to set up
relatively inexpensive "nodes" that can each communicate through the air
with dozens of computers at once – all without the costly infrastructure
associated with cable and telephone networks.

Whether or not this federal initiative is successful, a growing number
of cities are taking their own steps to establish municipal wireless
systems, often waging difficult battles with telecommunications
companies determined to maintain control over broadband connections.
Philadelphia is the furthest along in its efforts to offer discounted
wireless Internet access to anyone living in or visiting the city,
sealing a deal with Earthlink last year to provide service over a
135-square mile area.

San Francisco; Chicago; Houston, Suffolk County, NY; Dayton, Ohio and
others have also announced plans to establish citywide wireless
initiatives. And after the destruction of hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
the city of New Orleans was the first in the US to set up free wireless,
owned and operated by the city. Currently, it is only available in
limited neighborhoods, but Mayor Ray Nagin expects it to reach the
entire city in a year.

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http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2844

-- 
"The people who still support George Bush are the same people who
believe Adam and Eve rode to church on the backs of dinosaurs". -  SNL



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