Last month we reported on the Commission’s proposal to preserve vacant UHF TV channel space in every geographic area of the country for use by unlicensed TV white space devices and wireless microphones. The deadlines for comments on the proposal were set tout de suite, and things seemed to be moving merrily along on the fast track. But now the FCC has announced that the comment deadlines have been suspended until further notice. The suspension is in response to a request by the NAB, which was troubled by the fact that some still-up-in-the-air aspects of the Incentive Auction make it difficult if not impossible to comment on the white space/wireless mic proposals. In particular, the NAB notes the possibility that some TV stations might end up getting repacked into the “duplex gap”. But the FCC has decided to let unlicensed devices and wireless microphones operate in the duplex gap. Obviously, the extent to which full-service TV stations are shunted into the gap…
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