Michael Calabrese from the Open Technology Institute talks about broadband white space for the Blandin Foundation on webinar on Expanding Wi-Fi Access to Your Community

1. Super Wi-Fi: TV White Space and
Wireless Broadband Inclusion
Blandin Foundation Webinar
September 12, 2013
Michael Calabrese
Director, Wireless Future Project
Open Technology Institute
New America Foundation
calabrese@newamerica.net

2. Public Interest Spectrum Coalition
Unlicensed Access to Vacant TV Channels was first
advocated in the U.S. by NGOs to facilitate:
Wireless broadband for rural and unserved areas: Economic
development is increasingly linked to broadband access
More robust Wi-Fi networks as both a complement and
alternative to licensed carrier networks
The U.S. NGO White Space Coalition included:
• Consumer Federation of America
• Consumers Union
• Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
• EDUCAUSE (University CTOs)
• National Hispanic Media Coalition
• Free Press
• Public Knowledge
• New America Foundation
• Native Public Media . . . (and other groups)

3. Location, Location, Location!
TV Band Spectrum (< 1 GHz) is uniquely valuable:
- Larger Coverage Areas
- Lower Infrastructure Costs
- Better In-Building Penetration

4. What is Super Wi-Fi?
Super Wi-Fi
 Vacant local TV channels opened by the FCC that are useable on an unlicensed basis
for broadband applications (e.g., Wi-Fi as wireless backhaul), narrowband M2M, etc
 Utilizes Unused TV Broadcast Frequencies (TV White Spaces)
 Lower Frequencies (below 700 Mghz) allow signals to cover far larger areas than
traditional Wi-Fi and penetrate or bend around obstacles (trees, hills, deeper
indoors) relative to higher frequencies
54
88
174
216
470
698
512
614
608
37
Lower VHF Upper VHF UHF
Public
Safety
Wireless Mics
RA
Fixed TVWS Devices
Portable/Personal
TVWS Devices
76
72
TV ch
2-4
TV ch 7-13 TV ch 21-365-6
TV ch 14-20
TV ch 38-51
4

5. AIR.U: Rural College Communities
Initiative by Consortium of Higher Education
Groups to Deploy Bandwidth to Rural
College Communities
Rural and small city colleges/universities are well
suited for Super Wi-Fi innovation
• Higher Bandwidth Requirements (increasing)
• Fewer Bandwidth Alternatives
• Fewer Broadcasters means far more White Space
Pilot Phase Deployments in Development:
 West Virginia University
 Garrett County Maryland (unserved rural areas)
 California State U/Stanislaus (broadband to students at home)
 Historically Black Colleges in S.C. (extending coverage/capacity)
5
Declaration
Networks
Group, LLC

6. AIR.U: University of West Virginia
TV White Space Network Blankets
University tram system with Wi-Fi
Connectivity
• White Space Network Extends Public
Wi-Fi Internet Access (Fixed & Mobile)
• 15,000 Student/Faculty Commuters per day
• 3.5 miles of track – 5 station platforms
6
University W. Virginia
Personal Rapid Transit System
PRT route
identified in
orange

7. Gigabit Libraries Network
• “Libraries WhiteSpace: National Pilot”
• More than 90% of US libraries already use unlicensed wireless spectrum (wifi) to provide Internet access to
tens of millions of people.
• First national-scale White Space Trial in US:
 Deliver more bandwidth to libraries without high-speed wireline connections (e.g., KC enviro library)
 Explore the utility of TVWS to extend and support more basic, open, no-fee Wi-Fi library hotspots (e.g.,
satellite library hotspots, book mobile Internet access)
 Seek benefits of combining the near universal compatibility of Wi-Fi with the range and penetrating
capabilities of White Space devices.
• Round One: From 50 proposals from all regions of the country, six chosen in KS, NH, CO, NH, MS, CA, IL
• KS & NH are multi-library, statewide consortia: “Kansas K20-Librarians White Space Consortium”
• Every state encouraged to investigate the prospects for a state wide library consortium pilot.
• If half the nation’s 16,000+ libraries deployed TVWS networks, each ave. 5-6 remotes, it
would QUADRUPLE the number of public library hotspots.
• GigLibraries.Net

8. TVWS: Cost-Effective Community Networks
Targeting Unserved Rural Areas
In a rural, forested and rugged Garrett
County, MD, wireless backhaul from distant
State fiber to TVWS base station hubs . . .
. . . will offer 3,000 unserved homes
and businesses > 3 mbps Wi-Fi service
for $30/month.
8

9. THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
Contact:
Michael Calabrese
Open Technology Institute
New America Foundation
calabrese@newamerica.net
9 9/13/2013