Progress at Stake

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made positive progress to expand broadband connectivity for the millions of Americans stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide. In particular, the Commission’s recent action to clear regulatory barriers to innovation by unanimously supporting updated rules for TV white space (TVWS) technology will enhance the reach and cost-effectiveness of broadband deployments.

The most cost-effective approach to closing the digital divide in rural America involves a combination of “wired” and “wireless” technologies, including fiber-based technologies and terrestrial and satellite fixed and mobile wireless technologies, leveraging a range of frequencies including TVWS.

• TV white spaces are unused spectrum in the UHF television bands that is particularly well adapted to broadband deployments in rural areas.

• This powerful bandwidth enables wireless signals to travel over hills and through buildings and trees.

• These unique characteristics make TVWS particularly well-suited for areas of low population density and tough topographies, like much of rural America.

• Supporting a hybrid network approach to closing the digital divide can reduce the cost by as much as 80 percent.

The FCC’s recently updated rules will help unleash the full potential of this technology as a critical tool to help eliminate the broadband gap, particularly in areas of low population density and challenging topography.

But now, proposed changes to the distributed transmission system (DTS) rules would adversely affect the availability of TVWS spectrum as an important tool to expand broadband connectivity and threaten to roll back the FCC’s positive progress on broadband innovation.

If enacted, this new proposal would substantially reduce the positive impact of the Commission’s recent action to clear regulatory barriers to innovation and maximize spectrum to help bridge the digital divide — losing progress at a time when Americans need broadband more than ever.

The Issue with the DTS Order

Broadcast stations provide a critical service for Americans and the Commission’s current DTS rules do not prevent stations from reaching their audiences. The proposed DTS changes, however, would allow broadcasters to transmit beyond their existing service area without a clearly defined need for such an expansion while undermining the Commission’s recent progress to unleash the full potential of TVWS technology as a critical tool to help eliminate the broadband gap in many of the hardest to reach areas of the country.

The proposed rules would adversely affect the availability of TVWS spectrum for broadband deployment. In particular, allowing broadcasters to transmit beyond their service areas will create spillover into TVWS spectrum, substantially reducing the area available for TVWS device operation and thereby limiting the potential for the technology to expand broadband connectivity.

And while these broadcast signals beyond service areas would not be protected from interference, they would still retain the potential to create harmful interference into TVWS devices operating nearby. By allowing broadcasters to operate outside their service areas, we also believe this draft order would create the conditions for stations to seek interference protections in the future, potentially further undermining the use of TVWS to expand broadband connectivity in many of America’s hardest to reach areas on the wrong side of the digital divide.

The advancement of these proposed DTS rule changes would therefore create regulatory uncertainty around TVWS and discourage private investment in deploying the technology as an important solution to expand broadband connectivity.

These changes would generate uncertainty, and future controversy, around the use of TVWS as a broadband solution, substantially reducing the positive impact of the Commission’s recent action to clear regulatory barriers to innovation to help bridge the digital divide by unanimously adopting updated TVWS rules.

Widespread Concern

CAN is not alone in expressing concern about the proposed DTS changes which could threaten positive progress to expand broadband connectivity and eliminate the digital divide. Leading voices for agriculture, veterans, rural communities, technology, broadband connectivity and more have also written to the FCC to express concern about the proposed rule which could undermine progress for Americans stuck on the wrong side of the broadband gap.

CAN has enthusiastically supported the Commission for demonstrating an ongoing and bipartisan commitment to clearing regulatory barriers to innovation and maximizing spectrum resources to expand broadband connectivity for unserved and underserved Americans. We respectfully ask the FCC to continue to act on that commitment and protect the positive progress that has been made by stopping the proposed DTS changes that would limit the availability of TVWS spectrum.

Learn more about CAN’s concerns with the proposed DTS order HERE.

Learn more about Connect Americans Now HERE.