Spectrum Bridge’s White Spaces Database is Helping Make North Carolina Safer, Greener

Spectrum Bridge and the City of Wilmington, North Carolina just added another technology “first” to their lists.

Today, we joined together in a public-private partnership with the County of New Hanover and TV Band Service to announce the launch of the nation’s first “Smart City” services powered by TV white spaces. Spectrum Bridge’s white spaces database and software are at the heart of this network, controlling and managing the frequencies accessed by the various applications.

You may recall that Wilmington was the test bed for the national digital TV transition, which freed up white spaces for use, and Spectrum Bridge deployed the white spaces database-driven network employing those frequencies for the first time last October.

Spectrum Bridge’s database and software are now helping white spaces power traffic monitoring on one of Wilmington's busiest thoroughfares, Martin Luther King Parkway. Traffic cameras are currently providing much needed safety for many cities throughout the US. In Wilmington, white spaces are delivering wireless traffic safety for daily commuters (and in the event of a hurricane evacuation) in a very green way: Laying fiber in this environmentally protected area would have been cost-prohibitive.

Meanwhile, across town, this white spaces test network is providing environmental monitoring, with real time wireless reporting and measurements of water levels. Previously this was a manual process, where employees had to drive to the locations and wade into the water to access level readings. Costs to perform this task made this a monthly effort. The white spaces test network will save the local government (and taxpayers) money in data collection, and provide for faster identification and mitigation of problems.

In addition, visitors of the County’s Hugh MacRae Park are now enjoying WiFi access -- and the peace of mind that comes with security monitoring of playgrounds and ball fields – all thanks to white spaces. You can read more about this success story here.

On hand to celebrate the event today were North Carolina’s Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, New Hanover County Chairman Jason Thompson, and Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo – as well as a large group of Mayors from all over the state of North Carolina.

Rick Rotondo, Spectrum Bridge co-founder and CMO extended our thanks to the many forward-thinking partners who brought this test network to fruition at today's event. “We are proud to have provided the technology and know-how for these visionary public and private business leaders to turn their ideas into tangible benefits,” he told the crowd of 130 gathered at Screen Gems Studios. “They know the white spaces opportunity is unique in that it lets them be cost-effective and environmentally conscious while delivering new services to the community.”

Additional services for this test network already in the planning process include the remote monitoring of at risk patients at home (which will result in speedier delivery of care and fewer emergency room visits) and for utilities equipment monitoring to provide energy reduction and cost savings.

I was privileged to be on site for Spectrum Bridge's white spaces trial network launches in Claudville and Wilmington, and have seen the impact they are already having on these communities first hand.

Wilmington is far more urban than Claudville, but the benefits of white spaces for both communities (while different) cannot be overstated. And the appreciation and sense of partnership in both communities has been inspiring.

For us at Spectrum Bridge, white spaces represent more than just being “first”, or a great vehicle for demonstrating our database driven spectrum allocation technology.

White spaces have enabled us to deploy test networks that are already helping to bridge the digital divide and bring much needed services to some terrific people in two beautiful communities.

And that feels pretty good.

- Beverly Lambright

Spectrum Bridge Launches First iPhone Application for TV White Spaces

Here's your freebie for the day:

Now you can find out what TV White Spaces channels are available wherever you are--directly from your iPhone--for free.

Created by Spectrum Bridge, "ShowMyWhiteSpaces" is the first iPhone application for locating available TV White Spaces channels anywhere in the US.

TV White Spaces availability varies significantly across the country. With our new iPhone app, users simply enter the address or areas they are interested in finding TV White Spaces bandwidth and get a list of available channels and frequencies.

What can you do with TV White Spaces? Expect to use them for powering many existing services--and some new ones as well:

• High-speed Internet connections to SmartPhones, netbooks and laptops
• Extended range and reliability of home and enterprise WiFi networks
• Power new long-range cordless phone and video systems, create reliable whole-house media distribution and many other innovative new bandwidth intensive applications
• Create a cost-effective wireless communications network for a broad range of enterprise and industrial applications including smart grid, smart city, telemedicine and other advanced mobile internet applications

The best part is you get to enjoy this small piece of TV White Spaces history for free.

To download your free application, visit the Apple Inc. iPhone App store.

For more information on TV White Spaces and their potential applications, visit the ShowMyWhiteSpace.com website, or SpectrumBridge.com. Also, you can now download the free app for the Android. Click here for more information.

Enjoy!

Spectrum Bridge submits white spaces database manager proposal to FCC

This afternoon we submitted our TV white spaces database manager proposal to the FCC in response to their Public Notice.

By submitting our proposal, Spectrum Bridge can now be officially considered for, and selected as, a database manager by the FCC.

UPDATE: (1/5/2010) - follow this link to see all the 9 proposals submitted from:

1. Spectrum Bridge
2. Google
3. Nuestar
4. Comsearch
5. Telcordia
6. KeyBridge
7. WSdb
8. Frequency Finder Inc.
9. KB Enterprises LLC

The FCC has ruled that white space devices (like wireless PCs and netbooks, smartphones, wireless music and video players, eBook readers, etc) must talk to a database to get a list of allowable frequencies it can use before it can start transmitting. The database manager insures that these devices get accurate and up-to-date frequency information.

TV white spaces hold tremendous promise for deploying a variety of applications including:

• Wireless Internet connectivity for rural and other under served communities
• Cost-effective Muniwireless and community wireless access
• High speed broadband communications for enterprises and private business networks
• Content distribution throughout a city or community
• Whole house and office video, music and data networking

Because of this, naming TV white spaces database managers is an important step in bringing this valuable wireless spectrum to market.

We expect several other companies, agencies and organizations to submit proposals as well. We'll all know in a day or two who as applied since the deadline for proposals was this afternoon, and the FCC usually posts public records (as these proposals are) within about 24 hours of receiving them.

You can find Spectrum Bridge's official response and proposal here.

To learn more about TV white spaces, what a white spaces database is, or to find which TV white spaces frequencies are available at your home or office - see our previous blog post here.


Rick Rotondo
CMO & Co-Founder
Spectrum Bridge Inc

Nation’s First White Spaces Network Deployed in Rural Virginia

On October 21st, a group of industry and public leaders announced that the town of Claudville, Virginia is the first community in America to use TV white spaces to deliver broadband connectivity to local residents, businesses and students.

The white spaces network, designed and deployed by Spectrum Bridge is providing the “middle mile” link between the wired backhaul and the WiFi hot spot networks deployed in Claudville’s business area as well as the school. The same network is also providing last mile broadband connectivity directly to residential users.

Dell and Microsoft donated state of the art computers, internet video equipment and software to insure the students and community could make the most of the high speed internet system. In order to prevent inference with TV broadcasters and other protected users, the radios in Claudville are managed by Spectrum Bridge's white spaces database. This database assigns non-interfering frequencies to the radios, and can adapt in real time to new TV broadcasts.

To announce this first ever white spaces network, students, business and community leaders in Claudville were connected to government and industry leaders in Washington D.C. via a live video conference over the white spaces network link connected to the Trinity Christian school in Claudville.

In Washington, DC

Over 50 representatives from the FCC, national media, congressional offices and other VIPs gathered in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Congressman Rick Boucher explained how white spaces could be used to cross the digital divide and what getting high-speed connectivity meant to the residents of Claudville and how it could benefit other rural communities in his district and around the country. Representatives from Dell, Microsoft, Spectrum Bridge and the TDF Foundation also addressed the standing room only crowd that included FCC Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Meredith Attwell Baker.

The entire proceeding in Washington DC was broadcast live to the Trinity school in Claudville via the White Spaces network and once the speakers in D.C. were finished, the same video link enabled the speakers in Claudville to address everyone gathered in the Rayburn building.

In Claudville, VA

An assembly was held at Trinity Christian School, with the entire student body in attendance. Representatives from Congressman Boucher's office and well as the Virginia Governor's office were also present. Business and community leaders stressed how the country cannot afford to leave rural communities out of the Internet revolution and that white spaces could be used to economically close the growing "digital divide."

Jerry Whitlow, administrator of the school, explained how he would use the new equipment and high speed connectivity for distance learning both for his students and the community at large. Roger Haden, Chairman of the Patrick County Broadband Task Force, told how broadband could help fuel economic growth and improve the quality of life for Claudville residents.

News of the nation’s first white spaces network spread quickly throughout tech publications. Below is a small sampling of organizations who picked up the story; look for more to appear soon:

Ars Technica

FierceWireless

GigaOM

MIT Technology Review

RCR Wireless

Urgent Communications