Ostensibly, broadcasters are concerned with white space airwaves interfering with television broadcasts on other portions of the spectrum. But nationwide Internet access, available through a reliable wireless signal, has earthshaking implications for a variety of media companies who already sell Internet access.

Fear is a powerful motivator and no business wants to lose business to a competitor or see an entire segment of its business sink into oblivion. That’s why broadcasters are lashing out at the FCC’s support of using the white space spectrum for Internet access.

That spectrum will become available next year, when TV signals are converted from analog to digital. Google immediately began to pursue white spaces when it lost out in the 700 mHz spectrum auction.

The FCC’s Office of Engineering Technology (OET) released a 149-page technical report yesterday detailing its tests and said it found no major interference problems, according to Internet News.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) wasn’t pleased to see this and replied strongly by indicating that the FCC was “misinterpreting the data” and that “any reasonable analysis of the OET report would conclude that unlicensed devices, that rely solely on spectrum sensing, threaten the viability of clear television reception.”

Perhaps what the NAB doesn’t realize (or maybe it does, and that’s why it’s the most afraid) is that more and more people are relying on the Internet to get their video. The popularity of sites like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix downloads are evidence of that.

Over the last several years, the United States has consistently continued to fall behind other parts of the world in embracing technology. “After dominating the tech index for years, the U.S. dropped to No. 5 in 2006, No. 8 in 2007 and is currently No. 9,” according to Forbes.

Keep leading the charge, Google, we need a new way to connect with content online and you’re our best bet right now.

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Entry was posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 at 9:54 pm under Google, Legal, Technology.

Read more entries by Matt Jansen.
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