So! The FCC decided last week that the white spaces between frequencies used by TV broadcasters should be open for public use.

What are White Spaces, you ask? Basically, it's the frequencies between the ones used on TV. When you see a snowy image on an unused channel -- that's the unused "white space" in the frequency range that was previously reserved only for the big broadcasters to use.

So what's the big deal? Well, those frequencies are really good at going through walls and plants and stuff, unlike the frequencies used for the wifi we all know and love. That means that if those frequencies were used for something like the internet connectivity, you'd rarely run into problems with weak signal. Plus, it has a nice social justice/leveling bent, as places less served by large numbers of TV channels (like rural areas) would have a greater range of frequencies to play with for other connected devices.

Basically, the FCC making these frequencies open for use is a big win for everyone who isn't Comcast or Verizon. We can do more and faster, in more places, for much less money.

It should be noted that Free Press, one of our clients, was a big proponent of opening up these frequencies. This is a huge win for them, and we're pretty darn thrilled.

An excellent and understandable breakdown of this stuff is on this week's episode of Search Engine. It used to be a regular broadcast show on the CBC, but now it's podcast-only. Still rules. You can download the show here. Better yet, subscribe to the podcast.