Google Tells FCC of White Space Airwave Plans

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – Internet search engineGoogle Inc gave U.S. regulators on Monday a proposalfor allowing the airwaves between broadcast channels to be usedfor mobile broadband services.

In comments filed with the Federal CommunicationsCommission, Google said it would propose an enhanced system toprevent wireless devices operating in the so-called "whitespace" from interfering with adjacent television channels andwireless microphones.

Google said the enhancements "will eliminate any remaininglegitimate concerns about the merits of using the white spacefor unlicensed personal/portable devices."

The FCC currently is testing equipment to see if they canmake use of the white space spectrum without interfering withtelevision broadcasts.

The filing comes less than two weeks after Microsoftco-founder Bill Gates urged the FCC to free up the white spacespectrum so it could be used to expand access of wirelessbroadband service using Wi-Fi technology.

Google and Microsoft are part of a coalition of technologycompanies that has been lobbying the FCC to allow unlicenseduse of white space spectrum.

The group also includes Dell, Intel Corp,Hewlett-Packard Co and the north American unit ofPhilips Electronics.

However, the idea is opposed by U.S. broadcasters andmakers of wireless microphones, who fear the devices wouldcause interference.

A proposal being studied by the FCC would create twocategories of users for the airwaves: one for low-power,personal, portable devices, and a second group for fixedcommercial operations.

The proposal would require that the devices includetechnology to identify unused spectrum and avoid interference.

(Reporting by Peter Kaplan; editing by Tim Dobbyn)