Microsoft, Google and other information technology and electronics companies are lobbying the FCC for access to the expanded “white spaces” between digital television broadcast signals. White spaces are buffer zones that prevent signals for different television channels from interfering with each other. They offer the potential for gigabit-speed Wi-Fi access. Existing Wi-Fi technologies, however, cannot exploit this space without creating interference with television signals. Television broadcasters therefore are resisting the approval of white space Wi-Fi devices.
This presents some interesting questions about the information infrastructure commons. Television broadcasters and equipment manufacturers have invested heavily in what could be considered pre-infrastructure — broadcast equipment, programming, and television sets — for use on the digital broadcast spectrum infrastructure. Does that investment privilege television use of the spectrum infrastructure over Wi-Fi use? Are television and Wi-Fi truly separate uses given the convergence of video with Wi-Fi? Will my neighbor’s video conference call interfere with my sacred right to wach “Lost” in high def?