In the tech world, white space refers to the wireless spectrum that isn’t currently licensed by a company. You should be familiar with this mechanism as most of us use it on a daily basis. That wi-fi router that your smart phone, gaming system, or PC hooks into (wirelessly) to grab data off the Internet or those lasers you fired at an opponent transmit (in this example at 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz) using part of the white space spectrum.

White space frequencies are important; they have driven forward innovations across numerous products and services. A few examples would be wireless microphones, ye old wireless house phones, baby monitors, bluetooth devices, the free wi-fi in coffee shops that millions enjoy, or that automatic car starter that heats up a car on a cold winter day. They are important because those spaces are unregulated – i.e. they aren’t restricted for use by any one individual or company. White space, at its most basic, is public.

In 2009, Congress passed the law that pushed analog television into the digital spectrum. It was a messy affair, but it had a bolder plan of adding large swathes of white space spectrum. The innovations that could take place here are huge, with the most utilitarian being hi-speed broadband piped into businesses and homes where it is not feasible or easy to lay physical lines. We’re talking about connecting people and industry to the world via the Internet, which in turn opens up vast possibilities that couldn’t previously exist.

Again, we’re talking about something that is a boon to both the public and industry.

Sounds almost too altruistic, right? Welcome to H.R. 1622: Spectrum Innovation Act.

If you know anything about how bills are named, then you understand their contents are the exact opposite. A more appropriate name should be: How We Can Fuck The Public By Selling Off And Exclusively Licensing White Space To Mobile Carriers.

It’s summary:

“Spectrum Innovation Act – Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that it is consistent with the public interest in spectrum utilization for a licensee to voluntarily relinquish licensed spectrum usage rights to permit the assignment of new initial licenses subject to new service rules, the proceeds from granting such rights to another licensee under an appropriate competitive bidding system must be shared (subject to the FCC retaining certain offsets and deposits for specified program qualification and implementation costs), in an amount or percentage that the FCC considers appropriate, with the licensee who voluntarily relinquished such rights. Directs the FCC to establish rules for such voluntary incentive auction revenue sharing. Prohibits the FCC from reclaiming frequencies of broadcast television licensees directly or indirectly on an involuntary basis for certain licensing purposes.”

Grabbing the hacksaw, let’s cut this down to understandable parts.

“if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that it is consistent with the public interest in spectrum utilization for a licensee to voluntarily relinquish licensed spectrum usage rights to permit the assignment of new initial licenses subject to new service rules,”

Translation: FCC can take existing unlicensed white space spectrum or spectrum currently owned by broadcasters and allow it to be auctioned or awarded to a private company. Important point: the rules of usage on that white space will not be subject to existing standards.

What this means is private companies (read the guys with the most lobbyists) can have themselves awarded chunks of the airwaves to utilize and they get to make up the rules of how those airwaves can be used.

The major mobile phone carriers are expected to grab this spectrum quickly. They can then hold it in a basement as a hostage so that you have no option but to use their services. Moreover, the conventional wisdom is carriers will use this as the new backbone for Internet access; since they get to make the rules, they will have full control over content and speed without all that fuss of Net Neutrality that existing wired and wireless spectrum has to deal with.

Pretty fucked up right? Wait, it gets better!

“Prohibits the FCC from reclaiming frequencies of broadcast television licensees directly or indirectly on an involuntary basis for certain licensing purposes.”

This is a giant one finger salute from the broadcasting industry which is still fuming over the digital push of 2009. In this instance the FCC will lose any power to reallocate spectrum to white space. If this rule had been in place before 2009, the industry would still be sitting in its own analog pile of shit, refusing to move forward from a tech perspective. Now they are ensuring no one has the power to do that ever again.

This bill is written, from start to finish, with pure corporate interests in mind. There is no innovation to be found here. There is no public interest to be found here either. This is not something that makes life better, nor does it open up compelling future possibilities.

This is pure, unadulterated, ass-fuckery that further narrows the field to only those that have a few hundred million or billion to drop on licensed wireless spectrum. Enjoy your AT&T and Verizon mobile overlords (soon to be the only players left) and be sure to thank to Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) for pushing this bill out there for them.

The White House has kicked off the White House Grand Challenge on the future of science policy in the United States.

As a part of its efforts to introduce fully open government, the White House is reaching out to the at-large scientific community to discuss America’s national scientific and technological priorities.

Through AAAS, and our new Expert Labs program, the Obama administration wants to draw on the collective wisdom of scientists everywhere in deciding which scientific and technological challenges should be the focus of policy initiatives in the coming years.

This also includes the science lovers out there, not just professionals, so chime in!

You can tweet, post on Facebook, or email them an idea that should be pursued.

Think big!

TechDirt has a follow-up on the latest happenings with ACTA. It appears two Senators are calling for on open, public discussion about this treaty.

Seems fairly sane since the treaty in its current form is a steaming pile of offal and needs public scrutiny and full disclosure of who exactly thinks it’s a good idea (and then subsequently have those un-representatives removed from office).

If you’re scratching your head in confusion read my original rant on why ACTA is one of the worst ideas in a long time.

Good news everyone, somebody gives a damn about the future!

Obama gave a press conference today about science. It was 15 minutes of things I’ve ranted about on this blog for months – that not only is science education fundamental to the future of this country, but it’s fundamental to advancing society as a whole.

It’s worth watching and noting that this isn’t just a government effort, but something smartly interwoven into business, television, science celebrities and more – the kind of co-effort and cooperation that it takes to really make something of this magnitude succeed.

I particularly like when Obama says “it’s about the ability to understand our world…to think critically.” When contrasted against where our country and government had been heading the previous eight years, when contrasted against debate and discussion in society today, that’s a 180 degree turn in behavior that I’d like to see.

This campaign, called “Educate to Innovate” which in turn has another buzz word attached with it called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) will be the focal point to drive America back to the top in science education.

It sounds like a number of efforts are underway, and more are getting ready to kick off – so hopefully this won’t be a lot of smoke, mirrors, and rhetoric. Though it seems funny to have this push when NASA is having its budgets flayed. I’m not quite sure how you justify the diminishing of the most visible and premiere showcase of science, math, engineering and technology in light of this speech.

Currently in Congress and the Senate are various bills all circulating around the idea that the FCC should not be making any regulations in regards to IP based systems (Internet Protocol).

The most visible is John McCain’s Internet Freedom Act. This amazing example of political doublespeak aims to keep the FCC from enforcing the concept of net neutrality.

Net neutrality is about keeping the Internet an open architecture platform. In much the same way electric lines carry current to your home the Internet carries packets of information. How ludicrous would it seem if your local power company dictated what that current could do. Imagine them charging more per kilowatt hour if your TV was tuned to CNN rather than Fox News. Seems silly, right?

However, this is the end game that telcos and cable companies are playing. They have funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to political candidate’s campaigns and the result are bills with misnomers like Internet Freedom Act.

These companies want the power to do deep packet inspection. With that info they can prioritize traffic – slowing down what they want, even forcing packets to drop off, meaning the information never makes it to you. This allows them to prioritize their own content, or even force you to spend more for services you use now for free (sorry you need to buy Comcast VOIP, we don’t support Skype on this network).

Adding insult to injury are the telcos and cable companies bleating like sheep about a mythological clogging of the pipes and that it costs them so much money to keep the infrastructure going. Not many people realize these companies were given billions of dollars by the government to rebuild and roll out a fiber-based broadband infrastructure. Do you have fiber yet? I know I don’t and may not ever see it. Where did that money go? No one is saying.

There is amazing innovation taking place right now on the open architecture that is the Internet. Billions of private funds are being invested in start-ups, jobs are being created (one of the few truly growing sectors in America), and we all benefit from this.

You need to contact your representatives and let them know you want this progress and innovation to continue. Don’t let the politcal doublespeak win. Don’t let telcos and cable companies dictate what you can or cannot see based on what may or may not make them more money.

Greed is what this comes down to. You already pay monthly for the bandwidth. Telcos and cable companies get their money in spades, and are now making a play to strengthen their position through active censorship of packets and the IP process rather than innovate.

Think about it. Act on it.

Newt’s infamous quote from Aliens – one of the few horror movies that ever, ever gave me consistent nightmares.

On my usual blog rounds I witnessed something far more real and far more scarier.

I guarantee you will be saying “WTF” after viewing this video.

The founding fathers truly new what they were doing when they advocated separation of church and state. Being knee deep in the Enlightenment they saw first hand the absolute crazy religion + political power wields.

Zombie founding fathers we need you to rise again and eat some brains down at C Street and save your country.

Ramen

***EDIT****
Well, the video is pulled, so check out the book:
The Family
****EDIT****
Found the video again.

Recently there has been a push to reinstate the Office of Technology Assessment. This body advised Congress on science and technology, taking complex ideas or situations and making  them understandable by the layperson. It was defunded (and effectively dissolved) by the Republican-led Congress in 1995.

For almost 15 years the people that create laws and pass legislation that affect your life have been  flying blind. Couple that with the decrease in the general public’s understanding and appreciation (and in some cases  an increase in outright hostility) of science and you have  stunted progress and security in this country.

Think about how much technology and science makes your life easier on a day to day basis. Reflect on how your leisure time is involved with technology. We’re all getting older, ponder how science has already extended your life span and could make your elder years a pleasure rather than a burden.

The OTA stands to be a powerful force in properly influencing that body of politics that is supposed to serve you is making and legislating good policy.

Want to know more or how you can help? Go here.