FCC’s white spaces ruling to have little immediate impact on Canada

The US Federal Communications Commission's decision last week to approve the use of white spaces TV spectrum - bandwidth for unused TV channels 2 to 51 - for broadband wireless access services is expected to have little near-term impact in Canadian border regions, according to an Industry Canada official.Speaking with Report on Wireless at the Future of WiMAX in Canada conference in Toronto last week, Doug Sward, the department's senior director of spectrum planning and engineering, said use in the US will be limited to low-power services, resulting in very little impact in border areas. But, he added, Industry Canada will watch how white spaces evolves in the US and will at some point launch its own study of the matter.On November 4, the FCC adopted rules for the use white spaces spectrum. The US regulator opened the spectrum on an unlicensed basis, but offered significant interference protection to existing users. Fixed and personal/portable devices can use the spectrum, but they have to incorporate a geolocation capability and spectrum sensing technology to mitigate interference with incumbent users. As well, a database will be created, allowing white spaces users to verify which spectrum and in what locations they can operate.Canada already makes unused TV spectrum in channels 2 to 51 available for broadband Internet services in many regions of rural and remote Canada. Since November 2006, dozens of applications have been filed with the department for use of this spectrum.Industry Canada held a public consultation on the issue a few years ago with the government deciding in 2006 to make this spectrum available on a first-come, first-serve basis in a move to spur high-speed network deployment in unserved and underserved parts of the country. To protect existing TV channels from interference, Industry Canada limited the use of these frequencies to areas that are far away from larger urban centres and the border with the US.While the introduction of white spaces devices is still sometime in the future, there could be some unintended impacts on Canada when they are released. As GMRS devices gained momentum south of the border - walkie talkie type devices with significant range capabilities and not available in Canada at the time - the government fast tracked a consultation to approve them in 2004.Will we see a similar outcome? That remains to be seen. But as Industry Canada has noted, it will watch how white spaces evolves in the US with an eye to conducting its consultation in the future.

FCC’s white spaces ruling to have little immediate impact on Canada

News | November 10, 2008

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