Washington - The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), whose members include major broadcast and cable TV networks, have launched lobbying efforts against proposals to use vacant TV channels to deliver high-speed Internet access, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

In D.C. TV ads and in talks with the FCC and Congress, the networks are arguing that such use of "white spaces" will cause interference with digital TV signals; sports leagues say they could interfere with wireless microphones used by coaches, officials and announcers during games.

Technology firms like Microsoft, Google, Intel and Philips say using white space to deliver broadband would bolster penetration to rural areas.

"The promise that this spectrum holds for bringing broadband to more Americans is too great to ignore," Scott Blake Harris, counsel to the White Spaces Coalition, a lobbying group formed by the technology companies, told the Times.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin has told Congress he supports the use of portable devices so long as they don't interfere with TV signals.

A recent FCC test of prototype devices from Microsoft and Philips produced mixed results.

Related Links:
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-spectrum11sep11,1,4231248.story