The Federal Communications Commission says it has resolved a number of legal and technical issues and is ready to move forward in opening the vacant airwaves beteen TV channels to host super WiFi and other services.
The spectrum, known as white spaces, is the first to be made available for unlicensed use in more than 20 years.
TV white space spectrum is considered prime real estate because its signals travel well, making it ideally suited for mobile wireless devices.
Unlocking this valuable spectrum will open the doors for new industries to arise, create American jobs, and fuel new investment and innovation, the agency said in a statement.
The National Broadband Plan noted the importance of unlicensed spectrum in creating opportunities for new technologies to blossom and recommended that the Commission complete the TV white spaces proceeding as expeditiously as possible.
The FCC began this project more than two years ago, investigating arguments that the use of the spectrum might interfere with existing wireless devices and television broadcast industries.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) was a staunch opponent of the "white spaces" project.
Supporting the use of white spaces is an array of tech titans including Google and Microsoft, as well as consumer advocacy groups such as Consumers' Union, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), and Free Press.
Cheap wireless broadband
Among its uses, the spectrum could be used to deliver low-cost wireless broadband to rural and poor areas, transmit traffic videos, build electric-utility smart grids, create faster home networks, and create services not yet imagined.
MediaG3, Inc. a wireless technology venture, said the company is planning to exploit white spaces airwaves that exists in all U.S. cities.
MediaG3 last week introduced WiFiBridges technology, a multi-channel, multi-mode network which was designed in part to work in these white spaces. It's chairman, Val Westergard, hailed the FCC decision.
"This new spectrum allows signals to penetrate through buildings and walls much better, delivering superfast Internet connections in places other frequencies didn't," said Westergard. "We call this 'Next Generation,' WiFi3 or WiFiCubed. This will bring a whole new level of Internet mobile device usage.
"As more channels and frequencies are added and made available, more and more ways to use them will be developed. This is a very exciting day for all of us in wireless technology. The door to innovation has just been cracked open a little more."
