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FCC Grants Google, Inc.’s TV Bands Database System for Operation

“The Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) announces that it has granted  approval for Google, Inc. to operate its “TV bands database system” to provide service to the public. This database system will support unlicensed radio devices that transmit on unused channels in the  spectrum bands used by broadcast television (TV white spaces, or TVWS). The Commission’s Part 15 rules (47 C.F.R. 15.701 et seq.) require that unlicensed TV radio  devices operating on TV white spaces (TVBDs) contact an authorized database system to obtain a list of  channels that are available for their operation (i.e. channels not occupied by authorized radio services) at  their individual locations and operate only on those channels. These devices are required to provide their  geographic locations by means of a secure Internet connection to a TV bands database system authorized  by the Commission. When a device provides its location to a database, the database will then return a list  of channels available for operation by the device at that location.”

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