WCAI Honors Best in Industry and Government with Annual Awards

Recognizing achievements of some of the brightest minds in the industry and government, WCAI last night presented its annual awards at the Networking Dinner held as part of the WCAI International Symposium @ 4G World. The Government Leadership Award went to Julius Knapp, who heads the Office of Engineering and Technology at the FCC. Dr. Mohammad Shakouri, Corporate VP, Innovation and Marketing at WCAI member Alvarion was presented with the Innovation Achievement Award. Dr. Vinton Cerf VP & Chief Internet Evangelist at WCAI member Google was recognized with the Industry Service Award.

Since becoming OET Chief at the FCC in 2006, Julie Knapp has worked to unleash new spectrum for wireless broadband and improve the utilization of existing spectrum. Mr. Knapp spearheaded the DTV white spaces proceeding to create an entirely new ecosystem for advanced unlicensed devices. He also created the unique, light licensing regime in the 3.65 GHz band and pioneered the power spectral density approach to power limits in the 700 MHz and other bands.

"Julie's contributions during his time as Chief of OET are alone deserving of recognition -- but they are only a part of Julie's legacy," said WCAI President Fred Campbell when presenting the award. "Julie has been with the FCC for 36 years, and has held numerous leadership roles in the OET during that time. From my own experience working with Julie at the FCC, I know that nobody works harder and nobody cares more about the role that engineering and technology play in the agency's work."

Presenting the award to Mo Shakouri, Mr. Campbell said: "Mo has been instrumental in growing WiMAX into a multi-billion dollar industry, and he is widely recognized as a global voice for 4G technologies. He has also been a voice for innovation at Alvarion, a global 4G communications leader with the industry's most extensive customer base. Mo is truly an innovation leader in every sense of the word."

Last but not least, WCAI was honored to recognize Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the Internet, for his distinguished industry service. Mr. Cerf's achievements are numerous and include the development of the first commercial email system connected to the Internet, and funding and formation of ICANN from the start. During his time at Google, Mr. Cerf has become well-known for his predictions on how technology will affect future society, including such areas as artificial intelligence, the advent of IPv6 and the transformation of the television industry and its delivery model.

We congratulate the honorees and thank them for their tireless work and contribution to the success of the wireless broadband industry!

Moving Forward on White Spaces

By Richard Whitt, Washington Telecom and Media Counsel, Google

On November 4, 2008, as millions of Americans lined up to cast their ballots in a historic presidential election, another important vote was taking place at the Federal Communications Commission. After some six years of careful study, that morning the FCC voted unanimously to open the TV “white spaces” spectrum – the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels – to unlicensed uses by all Americans.

One week from today, the five current FCC Commissioners will meet to set final technical rules for the white spaces. If it gets the rules right, the Commission will have taken a huge step to put better and faster Internet connections in the hands of the public.

Thanks to their unique range and strength, the TV white spaces are sometimes referred to as “Wi-Fi on steroids,” powerful enough to unlock new innovations and applications that simply are not possible over traditional Wi-Fi. Demonstration projects across the country are giving us a small sneak peak of what’s possible with the white spaces – for example, Wilmington, North Carolina, has blanketed its city with wireless Internet access, while Plumas County, California, is running a “smart grid” wireless network. Indeed, one of the great advantages of the white spaces is that ordinary citizens can employ them in a wide variety of ways, without the need to formally apply for (let alone purchase) a spectrum license from the FCC.

In setting the final rules, there are at least two critical issues the FCC needs to address. First, when it comes to interference protection, the Commission should support a geolocation solution. A few opponents of unlicensed white spaces have demanded that the FCC also require a spectrum-sensing solution, a move that would be redundant and expensive, and could severely limit commercial investment. Second, the Commission should establish a reasonable “keep-out” zone for wireless microphones. This will protect the users of authorized wireless microphones, while also allowing white spaces devices to operate in big cities, where spectrum is a coveted resource. Additionally, once the rules are set, the FCC will need to authorize one or more white spaces database administrators.

Google and many others in the tech industry are eager finally to get the green light to start innovating and building new services on these airwaves. From new wireless devices, to better broadband access, to more reliable communications networks for emergency responders, to better-connected classrooms – the white spaces have the potential to spark the next-generation of wireless communications.

Sprint Nextel President Keith Cowan to Keynote WCAI Symposium

WCAI recently confirmed Keith Cowan, President, Strategic Planning & Corporate Initiatives, Sprint Nextel Corporation, as a keynote speaker on November 6 at WCAI's Silicon Valley Symposium. Keith is a key player in the negotiations leading to the new Clearwire deal, in which Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks agreed to invest $3.2 billion in company combining Clearwire and Sprint Nextel's XOHM. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to hear about Keith's views on New Clearwire and Sprint Nextel's future.

WCAI is Going Green

I attended an event sponsored by the Wireless Innovation Alliance yesterday. Google cofounder Larry Page made an impassioned plea for the FCC to take action in the digital television white spaces proceeding. Representative Inslee spoke as well and expressed his view that wireless broadband will be important to reducing our carbon footprint. That's exactly what WCAI has been thinking.

Today our Engineering Committee created a new Green Technology Subcommittee to share information on green technology best practices for the wireless broadband industry. This is the most exciting thing WCAI has done since I've been here. Through the Green Technology Subcommittee, our members will be able to work together to achieve a sustainable future. As Engineering Committee Chairman Harry Perlow said, "Our children will inherit our environment, and our efforts to promote green technology will help ensure that they have a cleaner, safer future."

I'm very pleased that so many members of the Engineering Committee were ready to take part in this new effort. Sam Windsor from Prism Microwave quickly volunteered to chair the Committee, and was followed by new subcommittee members Jake MacLeod (Principle Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Fellow, Bechtel), Kellie Willey-Robinson (Prism Microwave), Chip Spann (Wireless Business Analyst, Connected Nation), Lawrence Behr (President and CEO, LBA Group), and Harry Perlow (Distinguished Member Technical Staff, Sprint Nextel). I look forward to great success with this distinguished group leading the way.