Senate bill would jumpstart broadband access

WASHINGTON -- Senators George Allen (Virginia) and Barbara Boxer (California) have co-authored legislation to expand access to Internet broadband technology, with the goal increasing development in the telecommunications industry. Broadband increases the capacity of Internet connections, which means information can be transmitted much faster.

Called the Jumpstart Broadband Act, the bill calls for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allocate not less than 255 megahertz of contiguous spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band for unlicensed use by wireless broadband devices.

"Wireless broadband technology offers tremendous promise for the future of high-speed Internet services, and it also holds the potential to re-energize visionary thinking for boundless horizons, rather than deadlock and indecision," Allen said. "With our proposal, we hope to light the spark that will propel legislation to help make broadband available to all Americans, especially those in rural and inner-city areas, thus efficiently and quickly bridging the digital divide."

The Boxer-Allen bill requires the FCC to make more broadcast spectrum available for use by devices that incorporate new technology like Wireless Fidelity (also known as Wi-Fi). Now, these kinds of technologies are limited to a small portion of the spectrum, which limits their development. The Boxer-Allen bill also requires the FCC to develop guidelines for the expanded portion of the broadcast spectrum that will be used by these devices to avoid signal congestion and interference.

Next generation broadband

"Our legislation will build confidence among consumers, investors and innovators in the telecommunications and technology industries to eventually make the broadband dream a reality," Allen said. "The proliferation of next generation broadband Internet connections will reinvigorate growth in the technology and telecommunications industries and improve our lives." He added that helping the developing wireless home networking industry could help produce more jobs, increase productivity, improve health care delivery and make education more accessible.

Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11b, is a technology that allows the creation of wireless networks with a radius of around 300 feet.

"The Boxer-Allen bill can help jump-start the broadband Internet market, and it breaks traditional thinking about how this can be accomplished," Boxer said. "It will reinvigorate high-tech economic development in California and across the country, and it will help give people in both urban and rural communities new ways of accessing the Internet and new ways of taking advantage of opportunities in the new economy."

Intel and other companies in the wireless industry have already announced support for the Jumpstart Broadband Act. Atheros Communications, a leading developer of advanced wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets, gave the company's full support for the legislation. Atheros said the bill addresses the nation's need for increased capacity and scalability to support the rapidly growing wireless networking market and various applications including computer networking, home video distribution, public hot spot Internet access, and broadband services.

Long-term WLAN growth

"By taking action now, Congress is showing that it understands the need for scalability in ensuring the long-term growth of WLAN applications across many types of devices," said Rich Redelfs, president and CEO of Atheros. "The proposed increase in available spectrum will accelerate the trend towards eliminating wires by providing substantially more non-interfering channels. Across the globe, the 5-GHz band is rapidly being used for expanding in-building and outdoor broadband wireless connectivity. We commend senators Allen and Boxer for their support of the WLAN industry in ensuring the continued advancement of this important technology."

Redelfs noted that wireless products based on the IEEE802.11b standard have become increasingly popular worldwide. However, these products operate in the 2.4-GHz band, where there's only 83.5 MHz of unlicensed spectrum shared by often incompatible wireless devices. In contrast, WLAN products based on the more advanced IEEE802.11a standard today operate in the less crowded 5-GHz band, which provides 325 MHz of spectrum. The new bill calls for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allocate an additional 255 MHz of continuous spectrum in the 5-GHz band for unlicensed wireless use, thus nearly doubling the available spectrum for high-performance 5-GHz devices.

The proposed additional 255 MHz of spectrum for the U.S. (5.470-5.725 GHz) has already been allocated in Europe for unlicensed applications, Redelfs said. About one million 802.11a devices have already been sold, with the latest products having the capability to automatically adjust to local-country regulations. Most of the 5-GHz unlicensed spectrum has been reserved worldwide for high performance devices, avoiding the interference found in the 2.4-GHz band from microwave ovens, and low-performance cordless phones, baby monitors and security systems. 

Redelfs said the Jumpstart Broadband Act validates his belief that 5-GHz-based WLAN technology in addition to legacy 2.4-GHz technology will be required for the future of wireless communications across the globe.

License-exempt wireless

License-exempt wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) are quickly becoming a bigger and bigger factor in the overall broadband picture, according to In-Stat/MDR. With the Boxer-Allen legislation, calling upon the FCC to allocate increased spectrum to be made available for license-exempt fixed wireless broadband (FWB) systems, In-Stat/MDR says it is clear that interest in FWB is moving beyond just technology enthusiasts. The high-tech market research firm estimates that there are 1,500 to 1,800 license exempt WISPs in the US and worldwide end user revenues generated from infrastructure in the license-exempt WISP market are forecasted to be $265.2 million for 2002. These revenues will grow over the next couple years as operators build out their networks. But, as the market matures, annual infrastructure revenues will decline back to 2002 levels.

"While the free nature of the spectrum and the low infrastructure cost will help drive the license-exempt WISP market, there are several major inhibitors that need to be overcome," said Daryl Schoolar, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. "One of the most critical ones is the mistaken belief amongst the general public that all wireless Ethernet is Wi-Fi. While general knowledge of Wi-Fi has helped to spur interest in fixed wireless broadband, it appears that some potential subscribers will not utilize FWB, as they have concerns over how a standard developed for the LAN environment, will operate in the last-mile." 

However, growth of all broadband technologies and services face similar drivers and inhibitors, Schoolar said. Both FWB and broadband in general can profit from subscribers wanting always-on connections, with faster speeds for Web surfing or online gaming. Both face subscriber resistance because of general consumer resistance to additional costs and what the consumer perceives as a lack of compelling reasons for the service.