AT&T Concerned About Problems in TV White Spaces Databases

AT&T said NAB complaints about problems with TV white spaces databases raise real concerns for AT&T as well. NAB recently filed an emergency petition at the FCC asking the agency to suspend operation of the TV white spaces (TVWS) database system until “serious flaws” are corrected in the system (see 1503190056). “These issues are important,” AT&T Vice President Joan Marsh said in a blog post Thursday. “Policymakers increasingly view spectrum sharing as policed by a database-driven frequency manager as critical to the future of U.S. spectrum policy.” Marsh said the TV white spaces deployment has been slow, but the FCC is promoting spectrum sharing everywhere from the TV band following the upcoming incentive auction to the 3.5 GHz band. “Even in the best circumstances, real time external monitoring and management of a complex interference environment is a tall order,” Marsh said. “But we now learn that database providers have not been able to effectively maintain information on less than 600 TV white space devices. This raises serious questions about the ability of a database to patrol the complexities involved in robust spectrum sharing, including in the 3.5 GHz band.”