| |
FCC
Releases White Space Rules
On November
14, the FCC released the Report and Order ("R&O")
that contains the text of Rules that allow unlicensed radio transmitters
to operate in the broadcast television spectrum ("white spaces").
The FCC states in the R&O that their action will make a significant
amount of spectrum available for new and innovative products and
services, including broadband data and other services for businesses
and consumers. The R&O also states that the Commission will
closely oversee the development and introduction of these devices
to the market and will take whatever actions may be necessary
to avoid, and if necessary correct, any interference that may
occur. Below is a brief summary of the some of the new rules.
Rules authorize
both fixed and personal/portable devices to operate in the TV
white spaces on an unlicensed basis.
A fixed
device must employ both geo-location/database access and spectrum
sensing capabilities that enable the device to listen for and
identify the presence of signals from other transmitters.
A personal/portable
device must either 1) be under the control of a fixed device or
a personal/portable device that employs geolocation/database access
and spectrum sensing or 2) employ geo-location/database access
and spectrum sensing itself.
.
Unlicensed
devices must first access the database to obtain a list of the
permitted channels before operating.
The FCC will
have a public notice process to solicit interested parties to
establish and administrate the database.
Fixed devices
may operate on any channel between 2 and 51, except channels 3,
4 and 37, and subject to a number of other conditions such as
a restriction against co-channel operation or operation adjacent
TV channels pending consideration of further information that
may be submitted into the record in this proceeding.
Fixed devices
may operate at up to 4 watts EIRP (assumes a 6 dBi gain antenna).
Personal
portable devices may operate on any unoccupied channel between
21 and 51, except channel 37.
Personal
portable devices may operate with a transmitter power of up to
100 milliwatts (assumes a 0 dBi antenna), except that operation
on adjacent channels will be limited to 40 milliwatts.
Fixed and
personal/portable devices must also have a capability to sense
TV broadcasting and wireless microphone signals as a further means
to minimize potential interference. However, for TV broadcasting
the database will be the controlling mechanism. The required sensing
detection thresholds are.
- ATSC
signals: -114 dBm, averaged over a 6 MHz bandwidth.
- NTSC
signals: -114 dBm, averaged over a 100 kHz bandwidth.
- Wireless
microphone signals: -114 dBm, averaged over a 200 kHz bandwidth.
To Protect
Wireless Microphones:
- The locations
where wireless mics are used, such as entertainment venues
and sporting events, can be registered in the database.
- Channels
2 - 20 will be restricted to fixed devices, and the FCC anticipates
that many of these channels will remain available for wireless
microphones that operate on an itinerant basis.
-
For the 13
major markets where 14 20 are used for land mobile operations,
the FCC will leave 2 channels between 21
 and
51 free of new unlicensed devices and therefore available for
wireless mic use.
- As noted
above, the unlicensed devices will be required to include
the ability to listen to sense wireless microphones.
All white
space devices are subject to equipment certification by the FCC
Laboratory. The Laboratory will request samples of the devices
for testing to ensure that they meet all the pertinent requirements.
For more
information see the complete Report and Order on the FCC's Webpage
at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-260A1.pdf.
..
The
November 24, 2008 TV TechCheck is also available
in an Adobe Acrobat file.
Please click
here to read the Adobe Acrobat version of TV TechCheck.
|
|
