FCC delays decision on 'ultrawide-band' until February

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By Bob Brewin

(IDG) -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delayed until February a decision on whether to permit widespread use of a controversial unlicensed wireless technology called "ultrawide-band" (UWB) communications.

Although its use has been championed by companies such as Intel and Sony, UWB is strongly opposed by the aviation and wireless telecommunications industries.

UWB, developed by Time Domain in Huntsville, Alabama, holds the promise of transmitting megabytes of data at milliwatts of power by spreading that transmission across the entire frequency band, offering greater throughput than today's wireless LAN devices. Time Domain has also developed UWB-based radar systems that can "see" through walls or rubble at a disaster site.

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Since UWB operates in spectrum already allocated by the FCC for other purposes, current users are concerned that widespread use could cause interference, particularly with the sensitive receivers used to pick up signals from the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said the Pentagon's evaluation of the draft UWB rules "indicates they will not provide adequate protection for GPS and other critical DOD systems."

In a November 20 letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans -- who has oversight over the federal spectrum -- Wolfowitz added that the proposed FCC rules "also raise significant national spectrum-management policy issues such as the intentional operation of nonlicensed devices in nationally restricted and in internationally designated passive-only bands."

Wolfowitz asked Evans to ask the FCC to continue its UWB rule-making from Wednesday until February so the Defense Department could conduct a more thorough review. Evans did ask for that extension, according to Clyde Ensslin, spokesman for the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications Information Administration. Ensslin said the delay was approved because "we need more time to do a more thorough analysis of critical systems (used to support) public safety and national security."

James Miller, program manager of flight operations technology at United Air Lines in Chicago, said the FCC move was a "positive development that shows the FCC is being forced to respond to the issues raised by the DOT (Department of Transportation), DOD and numerous aviation organizations and telecommunications services." United and other major airlines rely heavily on GPS for navigation across oceans and plan to use for precision landings.

"The FCC does not manage, nor are they responsible for, the National Airspace System (NAS). This is the purview of the FAA and DOT. FCC actions should not, therefore, adversely impact airline operations or put passengers at risk. The introduction of unlicensed UWB devices into aviation safety-of-life bands would erode public safety and compromise international protections afforded such vital frequencies," said Miller. "Now is not the time to inject instability into the NAS, and restricted bands are not the place to initiate strategic experiments for new gadgets."

Cellular telephone carriers such as Sprint PCS Group in Kansas City, Missouri, also have expressed concern that the use of UWB devices could block some phone calls. That's based on tests conducted last year by Time Domain and Sprint.

Jeff Ross, Time Domain's vice president for corporate development and strategy, said he believes UWB will get the go-ahead from the FCC in February, despite opposition from defense officials and the aviation industry. "The momentum is continuing to build" for UWB, said Ross. He noted that some defense officials have warmly embraced the technology's networking potential.

Ross also dismissed concerns about potential interference with aviation GPS systems, saying tests done by Johns Hopkins University "did not show any significant interference with GPS."