This is exciting progress on the (regulatory) future of radio systems in the US. In a nutshell, in the past the FCC assigned exclusive use for a slice of spect

This is exciting progress on the (regulatory) future of radio systems in the US. In a nutshell, in the past the FCC assigned exclusive use for a slice of spectrum to a particular user. A while back the FCC established spectrum ghettos (the ISM band) in 900Mhz, 2.4Ghz, and 5Ghz as a sort of power-limited free-for-all. This enabled the explosion of personal connectivity that we've experienced in the past decade. They are trying a hybrid approach with the TV Whitespace (TVWS) spectrum freed up from the analog to digital TV conversion (~400-700Mhz). Multiple competitive databases were commissioned (Google, Spectrum Bridge, Telcordia, etc). When a TVWS AP powers up it checks for free channels with the database over the internet (each TVWS AP has a embedded GPS for location-awareness)[1]. This allows for APs to slot in between licensed users (TV Stations) and the politically connected illegitimate users, cough, I mean key stakeholders, such as stadiums and churches (wireless microphones). 1: The idea is database operators can charge for access and give you a API key to put in the radio or something. The super exciting part comes (if this works to the FCC's satisfaction) when you can dynamically allocate spectrum that otherwise would have been reserved for users that rarely use it. E.g. DoD spectrum that is only used during natural disasters or spectrum used for ship to shore (if you are in the midwest).