Wireless Broadband May Get More Spectrum
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday said it was willing to create additional unlicensed spectrum so wireless broadband service providers can more quickly spread high-speed Internet connections into rural areas.
Source: ZDNetThe commission, during its monthly meeting, voted to begin a months-long process of rewriting FCC rules to let unlicensed wireless devices operate in a patch of spectrum now used by satellite operators, and at power levels much higher than usually allowed.
Wireless Internet service providers pressuring the FCC for new spectrum could get the airwaves and authority to more cheaply deliver high-speed Internet access to Internet gateways serving rural areas. A wireless connection to "backhaul"--move data hundreds of miles--is a cheaper alternative than digging trenches and laying down hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cable in often inhospitable terrain. Expressing interest in using the spectrum are manufacturers of a new high-speed wireless standard called WiMax, which has a range of up to about 30 miles and data transfer speeds of up to 70 megabits per second.
0