FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Releases White Space NPRM

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology released an NPRM and order Friday addressing TV white spaces rules. “The proposals are designed to improve the integrity of the white space database system and, as white space device deployments grow, to increase the confidence of all spectrum users of these frequency bands that the white space geolocation/database spectrum management scheme fully protects licensees and other authorized users,” OET said. OET proposes to eliminate the professional installer option for fixed white space devices and require that each fixed white space device incorporate a geolocation capability to determine its location. The NPRM addresses complaints by NAB made last year on the database. “In the accompanying Order, we decline to suspend operation of the white space databases pending completion of this rulemaking or to adopt temporary measures to ensure the integrity of each existing and new entry in the database, as requested by NAB in its petition,” OET said. “While we agree that some measures to improve white space database accuracy warrant consideration at this time, we find that the proactive measures taken thus far by the Commission and the database administrators, the current state of the databases’ accuracy, and our continuing oversight are sufficient to proceed without the need to impose the safeguards proposed by NAB, particularly in light of the disruption these proposals would cause to the white space devices initiative.” NAB filed a petition in March at the FCC citing wide-ranging problems with the database (see 1503190056). Last summer, NAB and white spaces device manufacturers reached an agreement on revised rules for the TV white spaces (see 1507170062).