Microsoft to Deliver 'White Space' Broadband to Parts of Midwest Microsoft says the company is working in conjunction with Packerland Broadband to deliver White Space broadband to select areas of Michigan and Wisconsin. According to a Microsoft announcement, the project will deliver white space broadband to 82,000 people living in rural regions of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan over the next four years. White Space broadband rides on the unlicensed spectrum freed by the migration to digital television, providing the potential for added competition, especially in rural markets.

Microsoft did not state how fast the service will be or at what price point it will be offered (we've inquired and are awaiting a response). Microsoft is conducting various trials in parts of twelve states. Packerland and Microsoft this project alone should cover approximately 33,750 people by the end of 2019, and approximately 82,000 people by 2022. "This partnership with Packerland Broadband will help us address the rural broadband gap in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula," Microsoft's Brad Smith said of the offerings. "Broadband has become the electricity of the 21st century, essential for education, business, agriculture and health care. Microsoft’s Airband Initiative is focused on bringing this necessity of life to 2 million people in rural counties by 2022." Debates over how this technology should best be implemented have been ongoing since at least 2004, and the FCC gave approval to the first white space devices back in 2011. Microsoft has also been conducting trials of the technology around the world for quite a few years now. Microsoft recently announced the creation of Connect Americans Now, a group designed to lobby government in order to try and speed up deployment of the technology. Like Facebook and Google, Microsoft's real interest lies in using the technology to push advertisements and hardware to less connected areas and developing nations. But additional broadband competition is always a good thing, and the group is quick to point out that 23.4 million out of the 34 million Americans who lack access to broadband (defined by the FCC as 25 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up) live in rural areas. Microsoft has faced numerous obstacles, including steady opposition by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). NAB has frequently gone out of its way (sometimes in Microsoft has faced numerous obstacles, including steady opposition by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). NAB has frequently gone out of its way (sometimes in comical fashion ) to overstate the technology's interference potential, worried that white space broadband could disrupt the traditional telecom and TV member companies with added competition and disruption to long-established business models.







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Most recommended from 25 comments



Anonfac7c

@frontiernet.net 7 recommendations Anonfac7c Anon I don't even care anymore Let's just get all the big internet and software companies making ISPs so we can have insane competition!



If this can compete with satellite and DSL I am all for it, but I don't think this will take off very far. Hopefully I am proven wrong. amungus

Premium Member

join:2004-11-26

America 6 recommendations amungus Premium Member Let it happen It's wild to me that after so long, no ISP bothers at all with so many little pockets even right near a city.



Sure, DSL or fiber is in random small towns, but there are still opportunities for a real connection.



If they can do it right, this would be cool. tabernak93

join:2015-02-16

Oklahoma City, OK 4 recommendations tabernak93 Member "defined by the FCC as 25 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up" You mean 3 up.



I'll take whatever they can do to add more competition. Anything to lessen the digital divide some people experience because they live in a more rural area. Ostracus

join:2011-09-05

Henderson, KY 4 recommendations Ostracus Member A shocking proposal. At this point it's probably best to discuss the technical merits because that will succeed, or kill it, like BPL.

mt999999

join:2016-06-16

East Liverpool, OH 3 recommendations mt999999 Member Go for it! Even if it sucks, the more competition, the better!