Google takes whitespace to the people with "Free the Airwaves"

Whitespace internet has long had heavyweight industry backing from the likes of Dell, Microsoft, and Motorola, and while those companies and several others have been lobbying Congress and the FCC through staidly named groups like the Wireless Innovation Alliance and the White Space Coalition, it looks like Google is sick of the red tape -- it's launching a petition drive aimed squarely at consumers called "Free the Airwaves." Yep, Google's cribbing its whitespace marketing from Pump Up the Volume -- and while that's certainly enough to convince us, we've got a feeling it's not going to sway anyone else's opinion until this semi-vaporware tech is actually demonstrated working outside of an FCC lab. Put up or shut up, El Goog -- or at least play a Descendents song or two.

[Thanks, Zoli]

[GreezyG @ Aug 18th 2008 11:06PM]

Uh... lets see..your second? I came after you..so I must be first?

[Blackstar @ Aug 18th 2008 11:10PM]

Just as long as everyone doesn't start dry-humping their couches...

[Nathan @ Aug 18th 2008 11:26PM]

Okay so a lot of that just went over my head... is this a good thing?

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Aug 18th 2008 11:26PM]

No thanks Google. You already own enough. Turning over all our unused video bandwidth to you is a scary idea.

[Mark @ Aug 19th 2008 12:05AM]

uh? They're campaigning to keep the whitespace area license free. That means anyone that needs it can use it.

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Aug 19th 2008 12:28AM]

No, free would mean not in use. As in, I have 20G "free" on my hard drive.

Google wants the space made available so they can fill it.

[Kinger @ Aug 19th 2008 12:50AM]

You're wrong.

I see NOT what you did there.

free the airwaves!

[Mark @ Aug 19th 2008 1:03AM]

Stop acting like you're smart if you can't even read the context of the word "free" in my earlier post.

[chad @ Aug 19th 2008 11:36AM]

google wants it to be free so they can fill it and that scares you?

soo -- you're not interested in google providing a free internet signal on those empty airwaves?
I couldnt think of a beter use for the space.

[thedesolate1 @ Aug 18th 2008 11:30PM]

In Soviet America the FCC surfs the interweb for you!

[A.J. @ Aug 18th 2008 11:53PM]

I completely respect the intensely creative folks @ google, but surely they can come up with something better than this...
Is christian slater still alive..? jk

[Justin @ Aug 18th 2008 11:56PM]

Certainly is good enough for me!

[Justin @ Aug 18th 2008 11:58PM]

Not Second!

[maball54 @ Aug 19th 2008 12:11AM]

Petition Signed.

[DarkStarPDX @ Aug 19th 2008 10:35AM]

The biggest problem with transmitting in the "white-space" is that there is no guarantee of it being "white-space". What might be "white-space" to my little rabbit ears on top of my TV, might be a distant PBS station that my neighbor is receiving with his rooftop yagi antenna with an amplifier. If I started transmitting on that frequency it would totally wipe out his reception.

There are LOTS of unlicensed spectrum that is currently unused, however it is only good for "local" Part 15 low-power usage. Unfortunately, Google (and Microsoft, and anyone else talking about white spaces) wants to utilize spectrum that otherwise should be licensed (thus a fee be paid for a license) for free!

Those are our airwaves and should be protected at all costs!

[vonbroner @ Aug 19th 2008 12:49AM]

Glad they didn't go with option #2: "Good Morning, Vietnam".

[mike @ Aug 19th 2008 1:23AM]

I'm going to put on my Leonard Cohen album...

"Everybody knows.... "

...I have a feeling I'm the only one who loved this movie.

[worm23 @ Aug 19th 2008 3:14AM]

well you are not alone, but I'm pretty confident that we are a dying breed :)

[Davey J @ Aug 19th 2008 9:41AM]

not dead yet!

Rise up in the cafeteria and stab them with your plastic forks!

[deadlyhifi @ Aug 19th 2008 2:21AM]

they may just get, Sour Grapes!

[ChrisMizzleInfo @ Aug 19th 2008 2:57AM]

something something dark side...
some thing something something complete...

[ajfarson @ Aug 19th 2008 3:13AM]

Um... I think might have been trying to "second" Niley's statements, not state that he was second in the posts... Harsh & hasty judgment from all thine geeks... reminds me of a democratic convention... lots of criticism but no intelligence to back it all up.

[Nate DiDonato @ Aug 19th 2008 3:50AM]

Christian Slater kinda looks like Rick Astley in that pic...

[Paul Dullford @ Aug 19th 2008 8:04AM]

Hey, don't you get it? Google's rickrolling us! Run for the hills!

[Davey J @ Aug 19th 2008 9:42AM]

silly, run to the hills is iron maiden, not descendents

[iHoppipolla @ Aug 19th 2008 8:38AM]

In other words...

Google can talk hard... but can it deliver?

[Tom Hands @ Aug 19th 2008 8:46AM]

A Descendents reference on Engadget?
Woot :)

[michael @ Aug 19th 2008 2:24PM]

What Google and Microsoft is not talking about is the fact that this white space is already in use. Broadcasters, AV companies, sound companies and the like use this space for wireless microphones. If this space gets sucked up then you will face the possibility of not hearing a singer perform at a rock concert. Not hearing the referee at the football game and a ton of other situations exactly like that. This is why people like the national association of broadcasters has been fighting this. My question is why engadget has decide to report on the situation but only showed the one side in this article>

M

[Bill @ Aug 28th 2008 8:15PM]

It looks like the mega corporations will once again try to put the hurt on the little guys. Churches, music venues, community theaters across this great land of ours will bear the most weight of this change should it happen. Greed will do what greed will do!
Bill