Last week, opponents of the FCC’s plan to auction off white-space spectrum ramped up their lobbying effort. This week, proponents of the plan got their turn. Google (NSDQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Motorola — all heavy-hitting supporters of the measure — have begun weighing in with phone calls to FCC Chair Kevin Martin, who backs the plan. There’s still plenty of debate over the airwaves that sit adjacent to TV broadcast signals and T-Mobile’s 3G network: Some broadcasters say it will interfere with their networks, while other people (including FCC engineers) say technology can maintain each network’s integrity.
Motorola filed a legal document following CEO Greg Brown’s conversation with Martin yesterday that outlined his argument. Brown told the agency’s chair that creating unlicensed applications for white-space spectrum has enormous potential and could lead to significant rural build-out of mobile broadband, according to Motorola (NYSE: MOT). Brown bent Martin’s ear on his long-held plan to get the country’s broadband penetration rate up to par with countries that lead in that area, and said this was the best chance of making that a reality. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has also been on the phone with Martin and Commissioner Michael Copps to reinforce his support for the plan and urge them not to delay the Nov. 4 vote, MediaPost reports.
Comparing the opportunity to Wi-Fi in a blog post, Google’s Washington Telecom and Media Counsel Richard Whitt wrote that “freeing the white space airwaves could help unleash a new wave of technological innovation, create jobs and boost our economy
Comments have been disabled for this post