the article is from a Canadian source, but you get the idea if you live in NA.

Shift to digital TV could spawn cheap, universal broadband


By Vito Pilieci
The Ottawa CitizenFebruary 4, 2009

OTTAWA — An international initiative spearheaded by the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. could soon see this country blanketed by cheap, high-speed Internet with the potential to change the way Canadians share information, make cellphone calls and watch TV.

Earlier this month, the FCC launched the “International TV White Spaces Fellowship and Training Initiative,” which aims to educate foreign regulators about the potential of so-called “white-space” broadcasting — unused digital TV channels on the dial.

Unlike other wireless technologies, white spaces are not affected by concrete, trees or shrubs and do not require a clear line of sight in order to work.

By using the existing TV broadcasting network, the new technology could encourage more competition among Internet providers and, possibly, lower fees for Internet access. Without the need to lease cables or setup new towers, new Internet providers can set up quickly and at low cost and offer coast-to-coast Internet access.

“Our founder, Larry Page, calls it Wi-Fi on steroids,” said Jacob Glick, Canada policy council for Google Inc., which has been one of the most vocal supporters for white spaces. “For the average person there will be many more choices on where, how, and how much you pay for your broadband Internet connection.”

The new technology will use the digital TV broadcast rollout in the U.S. — which will replace the rabbit-ears on the existing analogue TV system as early as Feb. 17— as a medium to distribute Internet signals. Because it’s using the broadcasting network, anyone able to pick up TV signals with a digital antenna will be able to tap these Internet signals.

Doing so will provide a cheap and effective way of blanketing a country in high-speed wireless Internet signals.

Canada is to shut off analogue TV in February 2011, and white-space technology could be implemented here at that time. That’s why Canadian regulators are listening intently to their U.S. colleagues.

“Industry Canada is closely monitoring the developments, and testing that is ongoing in the U.S. with regards to the use of TV white-space spectrum,” said Stéfanie Power, a spokeswoman for Industry Canada. “The department discusses this issue with the FCC on a regular bilateral basis and we will evaluate the situation if the U.S. eventually has a successful implementation.”

The FCC has researched white spaces for years and wants to share its findings about the technology.

“It is important that we continue to support ways to expand consumers’ access to cutting-edge wireless products,” said former FCC chairman Kevin Martin in a news release. “This program will help us to achieve those goals.”

New cellular phones are being planned that would operate independently of existing networks, and would instead access the Internet through white space technologies and send and receive calls over the web. High-definition TV broadcasts and movies can be streamed through white spaces directly to a person’s laptop, BlackBerry or iPhone.

“It takes images and sound and sends them great distances with no distortion,” said Jake Ward, a spokesman for the Wireless Innovation Alliance, which has been lobbying for white-space technology to be approved for general use. “Given we have this empty space and you can move information further and faster, this is incredibly important to the wireless industry.”

The FCC’s board of directors unanimously approved the technology for use in November.