Pai Circulates TV White Spaces NPRM; Microsoft Sought Action

A TV white spaces NPRM circulated on the eighth floor by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday seems to incorporate concepts pushed by Microsoft, a broadcast industry official said Wednesday. The TVWS NPRM is set for a vote at the Feb. 28 commissioners’ meeting. The proposal "would allow white space devices to reach users at greater distances, thus enabling improved broadband coverage," said an FCC release. The item includes proposals to increase the minimum separation distances for white space devices operating at higher power.

The draft seeks comment on allowing higher-power and taller antennas for rural, fixed white spaces devices and higher-power mobile operations. It would allow those operations "within geo-fenced areas and proposes rule revisions to facilitate the development of new and innovative narrowband" IoT services, the agency said.

NAB and Microsoft have been sparring over white space proposals for several years. The interference protections Pai mentioned sound positive, said Sinclair Senior Vice President-Advanced Technology Mark Aitken, cautioning he can’t be sure about the NPRM without seeing it. NAB “appreciates the consensus-based approach the FCC is taking,” said the group. It said it will work toward "final rules that will allow more flexibility for rural white spaces operations while protecting broadcasters.”

Microsoft President Brad Smith tweeted that the NPRM "is an important step forward towards bringing broadband to more people in rural America." The company declined further comment.

Broadcaster concerns about white space proposals involve the ATSC 3.0 transition, Aitken said. An ongoing proceeding on relaxing rules on distributed transmission systems is seen as very important to the new standard, and it’s not clear how the NPRM will interact with that proceeding. Devices operating in the TV white spaces could interfere with ATSC 3.0 signals on the edge of broadcasters’ contours, Aitken said.

"Modernizing the ... rules is a critical step in allowing broadcasters to improve their service," emailed SpectumCo President John Hane. "This NPRM is a step in the right direction, as long as the FCC keeps its eye on the ball," Hane said. "I fully support opportunistic white space usage on a non-interference basis as long as it is in fact opportunistic and doesn’t interfere.”

The FCC draft will be made public Friday, a spokesperson told us.