Why should we care about the spectrum debate

Credit: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9889309-7.html?tag=more

Speaking of Networking Infrastructures and IEEE standards... When I read this article, it made me think a lot about government restrictions on the wireless spectrums. It reminds me of the ongoing opensource was closed/commercial program sources. It reminds me of home-built customized computers versus top-tier built computers like HP or Dell. It even reminds me of the poor man's wireless antenna/router versus a commercial router.

What I find really significant with this article is that it points out the apparent restrictiveness of wireless standards and the spectrums or frequencies that we operate these wireless networks from. The article debates the search for the standardized spectrum that can harmoniously bring together the different wants and needs of its users. But with an increase in the adaption of wireless and WAN networks, there have also been deviations from the standards that are built to tailer to specific needs.

Which is where Google comes in. They have been experimenting with setting up free WAN, such as the San Francisco wireless experiment. It makes me think of the internet service providers and how they are always constantly trying to find ways to fend off such attempts at providing free service. In fact, this spectrum debate is all about the potential threats that an increased adoption in wireless-related technologies might have an existing standards and providers. Very interesting read.