And now for the geekiest thing you'll read on FanHouse all day.The NFL and ESPN have told FCC that they would like to test "white space" devices during live NFL games. The goal is to see if and how the wireless internet devices might interfere with wireless microphones and local TV signals in a real-world environment.
If you're not familiar with white space devices, here's some background for you. When the FCC handed broadcasters free analog TV spectrum back in the day, they required that there be "buffers," or white spaces, in between spectrum allocations, so as to avoid interference between channels. Now that analog TV signals are set to be switched off and replaced with all-digital TV signals next February, a few tech companies see an opportunity to use those white spaces to deliver wireless internet on the cheap -- the theory being that digital signal is much less susceptible to interference.
The hitch is that broadcasters are terrified that white space internet signals will interfere with TV signals. The National Association of Broadcasters wants to ban the devices, while White Spaces Coalition members are accusing the NAB of engaging in empty rhetoric. Unfortunately, NAB has the upper hand right now, as several white space devices tested by the FCC haven't worked very well.
The NFL and ESPN, meanwhile, want to see if white space devices can co-exist with equipment used on the field -- especially wireless microphones and transmitters, which are plentiful on the sidelines and in quarterbacks' helmets. It's an interesting move by the NFL, because if these devices work, it might open up opportunities for teams to engage fans at the game -- even if it's just cheesy stuff like instant stats delivered to your iPhone or ways to get your face on the jumbotron.
Personally, I'd like to see white space devices work, because you can never have enough cheap wireless internet access. Besides, the more opportunities people have to read what we're writing here on FanHouse, the better. Let's hope the FCC takes the NFL and ESPN up on this offer, because this technology needs all the help it can get.
