FCC Testing Reveals ’White Space’ Interference

WASHINGTON -- Late yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology released the results of a highly anticipated study which revealed that portable, unlicensed devices cause interference to television broadcast signals, an assertion television broadcasters, sports leagues, wireless microphone manufacturers, and others have long made.

The FCC report concluded that “the sample prototype White Space Devices submitted to the Commission for initial evaluation do not consistently sense or detect TV broadcast or wireless microphone signals” and that “the transmitter in the prototype device is capable of causing interference to TV broadcasting and wireless microphones.”

Commenting on the FCC testing results, NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said, “We appreciate FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s leadership and the thorough consideration of this important issue given by the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology. Yesterday’s FCC testing results confirm what NAB, MSTV and others have long contended: that the portable, unlicensed devices proposed by high-tech firms can’t make the transition from theory to actuality without compromising interference-free television reception.”