Divided over spectrum

Part of the public spectrum is still designated for UHF television broadcasting, and for some time the FCC has been planning to reclaim that spectrum and auction it off to the growing mobile industry. On February 18, The Washington Post weighed in on the issue with a lead editorial, venturing into an area more arcane than most Americans care to fathom - but which is nonetheless very important.

That issue is guard bands - the space between the blocks of spectrum intended for sale. Some space is necessary to prevent interference between licensees. But those guard rails would also be used by the public for low-power uses ranging from Wi-Fi to keyless door locks, as well as for experimenters.

The mobile companies are pushing for narrow guard rails, which would give them even more spectrum to use. But some community groups - as well as companies such as Google - are arguing in favor of wider guard rails.

The Post editorial more informs than opines. According to the Post, "The FCC should base the size of the guard bands on the best reckoning of engineers on how wide they must be to serve their primary technical purpose."

Speed Matters, too, wants to see sufficient space allotted for both licensed and unlicensed spectrum; both are essential to communications growth.

Splitting up the spectrum (Washington Post, Feb. 18, 2013)