To facilitate the interference-free operation of unlicensed wireless devices operating in TV spectrum bands, the Office of Engineering and Technology of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched a public trial of Google’s TV band database system.
Under the Commission’s Part 15 rules, wireless devices that operate on unlicensed TV bands are required to reference an authorized database system to identify those channels that are available for interference-free operation. An authorized database accepts input from a device regarding its specific location, and then returns a list of channels available at that location for operation. In this way, the database protects authorized service transmitters from interference while facilitating the operation of unlicensed devices.
Scheduled to run until mid-April 2013, the public trial of Google’s TV band database provides an opportunity for the Commission and the public to assess the accuracy of the results being provided by the database prior to authorizing the database for regular public use.
Google says that its TV band database system will contribute to efforts to free up spectrum for dynamic sharing, and improve device connectivity globally.
View Google’s TV band database test facility.
Google has also posted additional information about its spectrum database project.
