Re: But
" it is the parts of the spectrum in a given area which are apparently not in use for TV broadcasts, requiring a device to be location-aware in order to know what frequencies and transmission powers to use. "
[My emphasis]
Exactly. Unfortunately just knowing your own location doesn't actually work, unless EVERY TV tuner device is reporting in real time which signal source it's really using, as for many reasons some viewers need to use a different one to the "normal" service area.
It's been proved time and again, that a single planning agency needs to allocate all the channels. In most networks there are no real holes. The "Hidden Transmitter Syndrome" is only part of the problem. Also who will police so called "White Space" devices and ensure they don't add illegal power amplifier, bigger aerial (easy ways of ignoring the database), or the user simply deciding the frequency is free and over-riding the database.
Only Angels could be trusted to use "White Space" and even then sometimes the database will be wrong, users will have interference and unlike Analogue (i.e. you HEAR the CB) , will only get pixelation or occasional freezing and will not know what is causing it or who to complain to.
The very concept of "White Space" is inherently flawed.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
