The US government has elaborated on possible plans to give up some of its spectrum for private use. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is exploring making some of the more than 3,100 frequencies it controls across a 95MHz range. Currently, the spectrum is reserved for over 20 US agencies, including military communication and weapon systems.
Yesterday the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) advised the FCC that LighSquared's implementation of its LTE network "inavoidably" would interfere with GPS signals and recommended that the company not be allowed to continue with its deployment. The FCC then followed up by keeping in place a temporary stop to the wireless backbone provider's build out. A collateral consequence of the FCC's actions is that Sprint may have to repay $65 million back to Lightsquared that it received as part of its $9 billion deal with the beleaguered company.
Big-box retailer Best Buy will soon join a special discount plan, meant to help push Americans over from analog TV to digital. Beginning February 17th, the company will start selling selling an Insignia-branded digital-to-analog converter box, eligible for a coupon program initiated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This will cut the price of the converter by $40, making it a more reasonable $20.
