"The contest to exploit the airwaves freed up when the US switches over to digital TV next year has now got some rules.
These so-called white space frequencies are valuable because they travel further through the atmosphere and so could hugely extend the range of Wi-Fi services such as mobile broadband and gaming networks. The downside is that signals from distant devices operating at the same frequency within this band are more likely to interfere than existing Wi-Fi networks do. That could mean trouble for digital TV.
The solution, says the Federal Communications Commission, is to let the souped-up Wi-Fi devices detect which frequencies are free. In addition, the DCC says the new devices must have GPS receivers so they can avoid the frequencies licensed by TV broadcasts in their area."
Sounds like this situation has a really strong positive, but a strong downside as well. Interference with others on the same network? How would this effect your internet browsing? Could it make it easier for others on the same frequency to hack into your network or computer? Who knows - looks like we'll find out.
-Michael Strachan
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