white spaces

The Federal Communications Commission's new approach to dealing with white spaces spectrum could be best summed up by a variation of an old '60s trope: If it looks open, use it.

Seven technology vendors, including Microsoft, Google and Dell, have started working together to help the FCC identify occupied channels in the television spectrum in an effort to avoid interference from new wireless broadband devices.

Several groups called on the FCC to delay a vote on white spaces wireless technology.

Prototype wireless broadband devices operating in television spectrum were frequently, but not always, able to sense TV stations and wireless microphones operating in the spectrum and avoid causing interference, according to a report released late Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.