October, 15 2008, 03:48pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22 or (703) 517-6273
Big Win Ahead for White Spaces
WASHINGTON
According to news reports, engineers at the Federal Communications Commission are expected to issue a report endorsing the unlicensed use of "white spaces" -- empty airwaves between television channels -- to provide high-speed Internet access nationwide.
The report follows 18 months of exhaustive testing by the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology to determine the feasibility of new technology that uses white spaces to deliver broadband service. The OET's endorsement will conclude the FCC's field and lab testing, and the agency is expected to vote on a Report and Order at an upcoming meeting.
Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, issued the following statement:
"In a major victory for consumers and innovators, the FCC's engineers are poised to give unlicensed white spaces their seal of approval. This move provides support for policies that would open the public airwaves to the high-tech communications of the 21st century.
"Nearly every market in the United States has empty white spaces -- in some communities, more than three-quarters of the broadcast spectrum is unused. Unlicensed devices make efficient use of the airwaves because they're low-power and smart enough to detect and avoid other broadcasters and services.
"This isn't about one industry versus another. And the real value of unlicensed white spaces isn't in the devices of today -- it's in their future potential to connect all Americans to a fast, affordable, open Internet. Freeing up these powerful airwaves will create a boom in innovative technologies and expand the opportunities for citizens to communicate with one another and the rest of the world.
"With this endorsement from the technical experts, it's time to shed the outdated standards that have placed the public airwaves under lock and key. We urge the FCC to move forward with policies that will increase competition and innovation, paving the way for this revolutionary new wireless marketplace."
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
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Noting those decisions on the FISA reauthorization legislation, Ruddock stressed that "today's vote is a victory but follows a recent loss and ongoing threat as that Section 702 bill moves to the Senate this week too."
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Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at ACLU, similarly said Wednesday that "the bipartisan passage of this bill is a flashing warning sign to the government that if it wants our data, it must get a warrant."
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As The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein and Daniel Boguslaw noted:
Since 2011, the U.N. Security Council has rejected the Palestinian Authority's request for full member status. On April 2, the Palestinian Observer Mission to the U.N. requested that the council once again take up consideration of its membership application. According to the first State Department cable, U.N. meetings since the beginning of April suggest that Algeria, China, Guyana, Mozambique, Russia, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, and Malta support granting Palestine full membership to the U.N. It also says that France, Japan, and Korea are undecided, while the United Kingdom will likely abstain from a vote.
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