One of the database networks that will manage unlicensed broadband devices across the country will face its first public test beginning this Monday at 8:30am, and it will be a long one. The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering Technology says that for 45 days it will facilitate a public trial of vendor Spectrum Bridge’s database—designed to identify « white space » television band channels authorized for unlicensed use by broadband devices.
« We encourage all interested parties to test the database and provide appropriate feedback to Spectrum Bridge, » the announcement explains. The challenge is whether the Spectrum Bridge system properly registers TV channels available for use and those not available, protecting the latter from interference from white space gadgets that can sniff for and identify temporarily free TV bands.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/white-space-database-system-to-face-its-first-trial.ars