A little-known fight may
determine whether we'll see a continually innovating wireless Internet,
or whether the future instead belongs to the telco and wireless
dinosaurs.
By the end of the year, the FCC will auction off a wireless frequency
band that could be used to spawn low-cost, innovative applications
-- or instead can be used by existing wireless carriers to gain a
stranglehold over the wireless future.
The frequency is currently used by UHF TV stations, which will no
longer be able to use the frequency when all TV broadcasting becomes
digital in 2009. The FCC plans to auction off that frequency by the end
of 2007, for use in 2009 and after.
A variety of groups are asking that whoever wins the auction, anyone
should be able to lease space on it, and that public safety officers
get access to it. Consumer groups, a Google-led consortium, and the
Silicon Valley startup Frontline Wireless are all asking for that.
On the other side, Verizon and pals want to squash the idea, for
obvious reasons. If anyone can lease space on the spectrum, real
wireless competition can blossom, and there's nothing that telcos and
wireless carriers hate more than competition.
The FCC has yet to weigh in on the matter and has already postponed two
meetings at which it was supposed to discuss the issue. It may discuss
it at a meeting at the end of June.
Given that the FCC seems to be in the back pocket of the telcos and
wireless carriers, I don't have high hopes it will do the right thing.
But there's a long way to go, and public pressure counts for a lot.
Stay tuned to see what happens.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributed by Hasan Shrek, independence blogger. Also run online business ,internet marketing solution , online store script .
Beside he is writing some others blogs for notebook computer , computer training , computer software and personal computer
No comments:
Post a Comment