Rhetoric Doesn't Match Reality on TV White Spaces, NAB Says
NAB had a reality check for a coalition of tech companies that filed a letter at the FCC asking the agency to preserve three TV white spaces stations in every U.S. market for “innovative broadband technology.” The Monday letter, by…
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Voices for Innovation, doesn’t mention Microsoft’s proposal to use the TV white spaces (TVWS) spectrum for rural broadband (see 1707110015). NAB tied the letter back to Microsoft in a statement Wednesday. “Using even the most wildly optimistic TVWS database numbers, TVWS advocates just need to connect 33,999,132 more devices to bring broadband Internet to 34 million Americans without access,” NAB said. “Despite sitting on the sidelines for years during the TVWS experiment, Microsoft now demands that the FCC oust television broadcasters and their viewers to pave the way for free spectrum for TVWS advocates. This would jeopardize local broadcast news, programming and lifeline emergency information for millions of Americans.”