The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comments on proposed changes to the operation of the White Spaces geolocation database system used to allow unlicensed wireless operations on unused television channels. Due to problems with the database system and inaccuracies in the databases themselves, the FCC is proposing to eliminate the professional installer option for fixed white space devices (WSDs) that allows a professional installer to determine and manually enter the geographic coordinates of a fixed WSD installation. Instead the NPRM proposes to require that all WSDs obtain their coordinates from a geolocation capability incorporated into the fixed white space device or from an external geolocation source to which the fixed white space device is connected. The NPRM also proposes to require the database administrators to verify for each registered fixed white space device the email address and phone number provided for the contact person before providing service to the fixed device.
