EON

Debate Over New Unlicensed Spectrum Frequencies Rage On

Washington, D.C.- The debate over how to divvy up the different frequencies and the unlicensed spectrum that the Federal Communications Division is thinking of opening up is firing up, with many different people and companies with just as many different opinions.

The Internet Giant Google has increased the stakes with a new Web site that is meant to lobby its position with the Federal government.

Google has opened up the site FreeAirWaves.com to help encourage citizens and consumers to lobby the government to keep the portion of the radio spectrum that the FCC may open up free and available to all.

There is a lot of pressure by companies such as Google, Motorola, Intel and Microsoft to open up the spectrum between different TV channels.

These slivers of radio frequency have in the past existed as buffer zones, to prevent different TV channels from bleeding and interfering with each other.

Many others in the broadcast industry are against the opening up of these channels because it will give a lot of interference, according to broadcasting companies.

The FCC is finishing field-testing different devices that are concept devices designed to look for unused frequencies and to route radio and other traffic to those frequencies.

According to the FCC it will release a report of this testing in September, but the results so far have been a mixed bag.