Are TV White Spaces Available in Your Area?

On November 4, 2008, the FCC issued rules making the remaining unused TV channels (i.e. TV white spaces) available for unlicensed use, meaning they can be used by anyone free of charge. Although white spaces frequencies are unlicensed and free to use, access points and certain other devices must be registered with an Internet database that can assign channels to the TV white spaces radio. The database maintains a list of available white spaces channels for every location and address in the country.  Only channels that will not  interfere with protected users of this spectrum, such as TV stations and wireless medical devices are presented to the white spaces radios. Under the current proposed set of rules issued by the FCC, white space devices must also be capable of sensing and avoiding channels reserved for protected users in their area.  New rules are expected late this year or early next year. However, until these new rules are issued by the FCC, final radio and database requirements for operating a TV white space network remain in limbo.

Because the number of unused broadcast TV stations varies throughout the country, the amount and frequencies of available white space channels can differ significantly at any given location. With ShowMyWhiteSpace.com, Spectrum Bridge has created a comprehensive TV white space database, along with an  an easy to use search interface that accurately identifies available TV white space spectrum anywhere in the country.  The site also seeks to educate consumer, business and government users on the applications and benefits of this new unlicensed broadband spectrum.

In addition to identifying available white space channels, the site also provides historical and technical information, links to official FCC documents and white space related resources, as well as a forum to get answers to white space questions. Visitors can also use an interactive map to plot specific TV broadcast and other protected wireless.

ShowMyWhiteSpace even allows wireless microphone users to pre-register their information with Spectrum Bridge, who will ensure its secure delivery to a TV white spaces database manager, once these entities have been designated by the FCC.

Our TV white spaces database is also being used today to dynamically manage the channel plan used by the radios in the nation's first TV white spaces network.  This first-of-its-kind network was developed and deployed by Spectrum Bridge to distribute broadband connectivity in the rural town of Claudville, Virginia.  See the Press Release Here.