Google Will Run a White Spaces Database
Google has volunteered to run one of the database instances, though it doesn't want to be the only database operator in existence.
Last year, the FCC opened TV "white spaces" for use by unlicensed wireless devices, but this "WiFi on steroids" won't be shooting up until the FCC also approves the databases that will be necessary to avoid interference. Google announced that it plans to run one copy of the database itself, and it assured the FCC that it has the cash to do so for a minimum of five years.
The geolocation database system will tell new white spaces devices what channels are available for use, and what power the devices can use for transmission. The FCC has mandated a dual-mode scheme to prevent interference with wireless microphones and existing TV stations: an Internet-connected geolocation database combined with a real-time spectrum-sensing component in the device itself.
When a white spaces device starts up, it has to connect to the Internet, pass its location to the database provider, and then honor the reply message telling it what channels are available for use. This sounds pretty simple, but there are complications.
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