FCC approves free wireless band
Editor's Note: T-Mobile is giving a pretty weak argument for why we should not have this spectrum for back to the public domain. I think this is great idea and it has much potential for getting good internet access out for many users especially lower income users. What is great about this spectrum is because of the lower frequency range, it can penetrate through hard materials much easier. It give us potential to do mesh networking applications that would really make good user experiences. I already have a couple ideas I am writing down that would need this type of access to make them viable.
Press Release:
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved new spectrum for use as a free public broadband channel. The FCC published the results of a study conducted in September regarding the potential for interference with other channels.
T-Mobile had informed the FCC of its own study which claimed that devices using the AWS-3 band proposed for the free channel would experience harmful interference from the nearby commercial AWS-1 band.
The mobile firm had contended that such interference could leave its paying customers unable to use their devices.
In response, the FCC conducted a series of tests which it said had not only replicated T-Mobile's reported conditions, but found instances in which worse interference was possible.
"The FCC has generally adopted standards that balance the risk of potential interference against a variety of other factors, including the impact those standards may have on the potential uses of spectrum," said the report.

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