Do you remember the analog television channel numbers? They were 2-13 for VHF and, back when the broadcasters were the most powerful lobby at the FCC, 14-83 were reserved on UHF. I assume that policy makers actually thought there might eventually be 82 channels operating in some metro areas, but such just wasn't economically viable, any more than having 500+ channels on cable makes sense today. But, regardless, frequencies were allocated and there were lots of broadcast stations operating. What's left of these stations are moving to new channels where they will broadcast only digital signals starting next February. And, yes, there once was a channel 1, but it was re-farmed out of existence in 1945.

The relatively lack of TV broadcasters in any given locale leaves lots of empty TV channels (way more than are occupied, in fact), sometimes called "white spaces". Now, as we know from ultrawideband and direct-sequence spread-spectrum (especially when embodied as CDMA), it is certainly possible for two otherwise unrelated signals to operate in the same spectrum simultaneously with minimal opportunities for interference. What the proponents of using these white spaces want to do, though, is simply dynamically work around any TV channels that might be present in this big swath of spectrum. This is easy to do - simple, in fact, if one just knows one's location (think GPS, Skyhook Wireless, whatever), or regardless uses spectral analysis to notch out occupied channels plus some guard band if necessary. This is such a good idea that it's going to happen. Expect the usual technologies in these new bands, wireless Web, voice, etc., etc. Propagation characteristics should be excellent. Again, we're talking huge amounts of unused spectrum (but not all) between 54 and 698 MHz. - prime territory, and lots of it. Big cells (especially in rural areas) and small. Broadband for everyone.

The key proponents of this effort are the White Spaces Coalition and the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition; neither has a Web site, but there are some big names involved. Their objective is unlicensed access to the white spaces, with assurance that they cause no interference to TV broadcasters (very unlikely indeed, as I noted above). Google is in fact a key driver of this effort. As we learned subsequent to the 700 MHz. auctions, and, as many suspected, Google had no real interest in winning spectrum; they just wanted to bid enough to make sure the open-access rules for the C-Block would be in place, and they are. Google remains, of course, fearful that they will be intermediated out of access to their products (you and I are the product; advertisers are the customers, interestingly just as is the case with broadcasters, but I digress), so anything they can do to create and otherwise keep open lines of communication is fair game.

The white spaces are clearly, at present, going to waste, and such a state of affairs is a crime. Shared access to spectrum - with some form of access and interference control, and traffic prioritization - is a great solution. But, believe it or not, I'm not going to support the idea of unlicensed access to white spaces. Want unlicensed? We've got tons of spectrum for that already. This free-for-all will eventually result in interference becoming a significant factor. And I am completely against using unlicensed spectrum in for-profit activities. Unlicensed spectrum should belong to the user, not a carrier.

Instead, let's do this: let's license some or all of the white spaces in given locations to three carriers, who will offer services and compete. They will be forced to be open access, net neutral, and support prioritized access for public safety activities on an as-needed basis. But this spectrum will not be auctioned - it will go to the most qualified companies based on what the industry calls a "beauty contest". Relatively small fees will cover the review and allocation process, and competition will hold prices down, thereby encouraging more users to subscribe at prices as economical as they can be. What's wrong with this plan?

Well, the government won't be able to raise money through an auction, and fees to communications lawyers will be limited a little bit. The latter will find something else to do, and the former - well, that $19 billion raised in the 700 MHz. auctions? It will pay for an entire morning or afternoon of any given day of the war in Iraq.