FCC opens unused airwaves for Internet use

WASHINGTON - US regulators agreed to free up unused television airwaves for wireless Internet access, handing a victory to Google Inc. and rejecting claims by broadcasters that the plan would disrupt TV signals.

The proposal, approved unanimously yesterday by the Federal Communications Commission, would let unlicensed devices use the vacant channels, known as white spaces, if they come equipped with anti-interference technology. Mobile-phone makers such as Motorola Inc. would have to obtain FCC certification for each white-space product before putting it on the market.

The plan will promote wireless innovation while requiring safeguards to protect broadcasters from interference, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said. "We've been very cautious in our approach," he said.

Google and Microsoft Corp. say the plan would expand Americans' Internet access, especially in rural areas. White-space devices will tap into free, wireless Web access, while providing a wider range of coverage than today's Wi-Fi technology. Google cofounder Larry Page has likened the white spaces to "Wi-Fi on steroids."

Microsoft chief strategy officer Craig Mundie said last week that if the FCC approved Martin's plan, white-space devices might be available in 12 to 18 months. Microsoft would make software for the products, he said in an interview.

Prototype anti-interference technology submitted by Motorola, Royal Philips Electronics NV, and Adaptrum Inc. worked as intended during months of laboratory and field tests, the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology said in an Oct. 15 report. The technology, if built into white-space devices, could prevent harm to TV signals, according to the report.

Broadcasters, including CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, said the report contradicted data collected during the FCC tests, which were open to the public. They had urged the commission to delay the vote by at least 70 days so people could comment on the engineers' findings. The white-spaces plan could disrupt TV signals for millions of viewers, broadcasters say.

The new devices will cause interference for over-the-air and cable television viewers, David Donovan, president of the Association for Maximum Service Television, a broadcasters' trade group, said in a statement after the vote.

"The commission chose a path that imperils America's television reception in order to satisfy the 'free' spectrum demands of Google and Microsoft," Donovan said.