What is this issue all about?

Today, America is squandering one of its most valuable natural resources –- the radio airwaves, or "spectrum," which surround us and help us to communicate with one another. Wireless spectrum is used by TV and radio broadcasters, cellphones, Wi-Fi hotspots, cordless telephones -- even baby monitors and garage door openers.

The U.S. government is in charge of dividing up this spectrum. Unfortunately, over the years, we've ended up with a complicated, inefficient system for assigning it, and vast amounts of valuable spectrum simply go unused. While American spend billions on cell phones and wireless services today, our broken policies stifle innovation that could drive competition and drop prices.

There is a better way forward: free up the unused airwaves, so that more entrepreneurs can get into the market, build the wireless technologies of tomorrow, and roll out faster, low-cost Internet access. Right now, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering whether to open up a vast, vacant swath of spectrum -- the TV "white spaces." Rather than being sold to private companies via exclusive licenses, this spectrum would be unlicensed, owned by no one and available to everyone.

At Google, we believe that opening up the white spaces would have tremendous benefits not only for companies like ours but also for society in general. That's why we've joined a broad coalition of public interest groups and companies in urging the FCC to "free the airwaves," and why we're appealing to you now.

What are the "white spaces?"

Remember how, before cable and satellite TV became ubiquitous in our homes, we would have to turn the VHF dial on our old televisions to watch local channels? In the New York area, for instance, CBS was on channel 2, NBC was on 4, ABC was on 7, and between those channels was, well, nothing.

This static is actually empty airwaves. And when TV stations cease analog transmission in February 2009, even more channels will be empty, leaving between 12 and 40 unused channels in each U.S. broadcast market. This unused spectrum could be used to bring fast wireless Internet service to more Americans, revolutionizing the way we think of broadband Internet access. Simply put, the white spaces are the building blocks for Wi-Fi 2.0.

Why does this matter?

When it comes to broadband Internet providers, Americans don't have many options; the lucky ones can choose between their phone company or their cable company. But millions have only one choice of provider, and in underserved rural and low-income areas, many have no access to broadband at all. In fact, in just the last few years, the U.S. has dropped from 3rd to 16th in worldwide broadband adoption, falling further behind Europe and Asia. This disturbing trend threatens our nation's ability to compete in today's global economy.

Freeing up the white spaces would enable innovators to blanket our nation with fast, affordable Internet access. It would mean more competition, much better prices, and a host of cutting-edge applications and devices.

What are the benefits?

Opening up the white spaces to unlicensed usage will allow more innovators to enter the wireless market and build the technologies of tomorrow. That's good for competition, good for consumer choice, and good for our innovation economy. The white spaces' unique qualities make possible faster, low-cost wireless Internet services, which could improve every year as computer and wireless technologies continue to evolve. Here are a few of the most obvious benefits we can expect:

Internet Access--TV white spaces offer nothing less than the possibility of affordable, ubiquitous, high-speed Internet connections to all Americans, anywhere, at any time.

Education--White spaces could provide America's schools with affordable, mobile, high-speed Internet access. Teachers and students could be able to communicate and compete more effectively with their peers around the world. Videoconferencing could help enable distance learning for students in remote locations.

Public Safety--Over the past several years, it has become clear that giving public safety agencies reliable, interoperable voice and data communications is a matter of national security. Today, though, first responders continue to suffer significant interoperability problems. Unused TV spectrum represents a new national technology platform that could improve communications for America's police officers and firefighters. In emergencies, devices connected to these important airwaves could ensure reliable communications at emergency sites.

And these are just a few possibilities; trying to create a comprehensive list of new products and applications for the white spaces is like trying to predict the most popular future uses of the Internet in 1990. Much like the Internet itself, freeing the white spaces would create an “innovation without permission” environment where anyone and everyone can deploy new technologies. And just as the Internet has allowed Google, Skype, eBay, the Web itself, and myriad unanticipated innovations to flourish, so too could freeing the white spaces ignite new and undreamed of wireless technologies.

The history of Wi-Fi also demonstrates the potential of unlicensed spectrum to generate incredible innovation. The spectrum that it now uses was set aside for unlicensed uses years before that technology existed. In fact, many considered that spectrum useless. But because anyone could access it, technologists could experiment with new uses, leading to the development of Wi-Fi -- a technology that millions benefit from today.

What do the opponents say?

What can I do?