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FCC gave its approval on the usage of wireless airwaves between TV channels for Internet devices. Tagged as ‘Wi-Fi on steroids’, this comes as a good news for consumers like Google, Motorola, and Microsoft – but bad news for wireless companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. The reason being that the consumers will be able to access the airwaves for Internet gadgets and services; on an unlicensed basis (meaning free), while the telcos… well they’ll just get new competition now won’t they? This isn’t expected any time soon though, as a lot of testing lies ahead for this is a new technology, where the FCC will be overseeing the tests as well – as it shall only approve devices that don’t interfere with TV broadcasts, wireless microphones, and so on. Google’s co-founder and President of Products, Larry Page, states:

I’ve always thought that there are a lot of really incredible things that engineers and entrepreneurs can do with this spectrum. We will soon have “Wi-Fi on steroids,” since these spectrum signals have much longer range than today’s Wi-Fi technology and broadband access can be spread using fewer base stations resulting in better coverage at lower cost. And it is wonderful that the FCC has adopted the same successful unlicensed model used for Wi-Fi, which has resulted in a projected 1 billion Wi-Fi chips being produced this year. Now that the FCC has set the rules, I’m sure that we’ll see similar growth in products to take advantage of this spectrum.

As an engineer, I was also really gratified to see that the FCC decided to put science over politics. For years the broadcasting lobby and others have tried to spread fear and confusion about this technology, rather than allow the FCC’s engineers to simply do their work.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]