Boston airport authorities cannot stop Continental Airlines from offering free wireless Internet service under a proposed Federal Communications Commission ruling, reports the Washington Post.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport, instructed Continental in 2005 to unplug their free service at Boston-Logan International Airport — and force people to use Massport’s $7.95 a day system. In a similar legal action, the University of Texas tried to ban all “unsanctioned” Wi-Fi hotspots on their property. That meant that students in dorms couldn’t use their own WiFi access points.
Now FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin is preparing to side with Continental’s free service in the airport dispute (pdf), although he is waiting for approval from two other FCC commissioners, reports the Boston Globe.
Frequency coordination and interference reduction is in everyone’s best interest.
The FCC might have improved on this mess if they provided more power on 5.4 GHz or provided some unlicensed relief on the 1.7 GHz or 2.5 GHz band.
Unlicensed 2.4 GHz (Wi-Fi) and 5.8 GHz (WiFi and WiMAX) is limited in capacity. There will be interference — everything from nearby WiFi hotspots, cordless phones, microwave ovens and intentional signal jamming.
What happens when an individual blocks muni wireless access? Will first providers have presidence? Will the FCC ruling on Continental affect municipal wireless? It’s a great legal issue — both sides can have valid arguments.
Multiple broadband wireless operators are now crowding onto FM/TV masts — but there are not enough channels on the 2.4/5.8 GHz unlicensed spectrum to go around. Disputes come with the (unlicensed) territory. Not everyone is a good neighbor. Businesses generally act in their own best interest.
Last night the locally produced Oregon Field Guide aired a segment on radio tower workers:
Brave and determined engineers make repairs critical to keep television and radio signals transmitting. In Christmas Valley, we follow an OPB engineer who works alone and in sometimes harsh conditions to make tower repairs so a handful of people have a connection to the outside world. In Portland, the FIELD GUIDE crew takes us high atop a giant transmission tower to experience the efforts that go into making sure radio and television signals stay strong.
Videographer Todd Sonflieth followed crews from Radio Tower Company to the 900 foot level of the KGW tower where they replaced a frayed coax. A Shively 8-bay FM panel antenna is used by several FM stations on the tower (left) located on the West Hills of Portland. A 4-bay 1/2 wave spaced FM antenna is used as backup on an old mast nearby.
Wireless ISP VeriLAN is on the KGW television tower with a pre-802.16 antenna at 5.8 GHz (the first in the United States) as well as a Vivato 802.11g panel (at 2.4 GHz). On top of a warehouse, on the other side of town, VeriLAN installed THREE Vivato phased arrays covering 360 degrees for a mile or more. That covers all of the downtown’s Waterfront Park as well as the inner Southeast area of town.
Meanwhile, just south of Portland, the 600 foot, self-supporting Stonehenge Tower (right) is a prime spot for FM and broadband wireless operators. Eight separate FM signals are combined into the single omni-directional “master” antenna, a three-section Jampro spiral antenna on the top. Portland Pioneer FM Transmitter Sites are prime locations for broadband wireless.
Portland’s Stonehenge tower is home to Winfield Wireless, a Wireless ISP. In addition to Winfield and VeriLAN, other wireless ISPs currently provide service using 2.4 and 5.8 GHz gear thoughout the area. Many cities have multiple wireless ISPs competing on the 2.4 GHz band.
Portland’s city cloud contractor, MetroFi, will shortly begin the construction of a city-wide network using thousands of WiFi hotspots on light and utility poles. The radios use 2.4 GHz (for local access) and 5.8 GHz (for mesh interconnects). They are bound to run into interference issues.
Portland’s PersonalTelco Project was here first. They now provide free WiFi service in more than 100 locations thoughout the city.
Who has rights to the space and frequency? The issue may ultimately land in court. Ideally, individuals and organizations will volunteer to self-police and avoid conflicts and interference as much as humanly possible.
Broadband Access Network Coordination (BANC) was formed by competing businesses to avoid stepping on each other’s toes. BANC members seek to coordinate unlicensed spectrum and reduce interference. The volunteer association is composed of WISPs, businesses, individuals and other operators.
BANC members are advised to notify other BANC members 72 hours in advance before adding or modifying transmitters. Several BANC groups exist, addressing dense RF markets like San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego.
The WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA), has been formed in Australia to bring owners of WiMAX spectrum together to deal with interoperability issues, promote the technology and establish global roaming agreements.
The wireless business — and tower work — can be risky; tower failures happen.
A Pacific storm slammed into California recently topped off the historic 440+-foot self- supporting 1240 KSON tower in San Diego (right), leaving it only 200-feet tall. A fatal small-plane collision destroyed the 750-foot 640 KFI tower.
The Tallest TV Masts and World’s Tallest Towers include the 2,120 foot (646 meter) Warsaw Radio tower in Poland. It was the tallest radio tower and tallest structure ever built. Completed in 1973, it collapsed in 1991 while being renovated, killing three people and injuring twelve.
The tallest structure currently standing is the KVLY-TV mast near Mayville, North Dakota, at 629 m (2,063 ft).
Radio-Locator.com helps you find a tower. Just type in a city or zip code. Other sites include the FCC Database, a Listing of US Broadcast Towers and the Berkana Wireless Radio Tower Locator. Chip Kelley, creator of 100000watts.com, has a service for locating broadcast towers as well as news and information.
American Tower is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of broadcast and wireless communications sites in North America. SpectraSite, based in Cary, North Carolina, is one of the largest wireless tower operators in the United States.
EE Times reports that Houston-based Crown Castle could establish the U.S. as the first nation with digital mobile TV broadcasting based on DVB-H or Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld, a system originally developed in Europe. Crown Castle says it already has the spectrum it needs to provide mobilized television via DVB-H. Last year, Crown Castle won a government auction, paying $12 million for an exclusive terrestrial license to use 5 MHz of U.S. L-band spectrum which extends from 1440 - 1790 MHz.
Tower Firms summarized in an earlier DailyWireless article include:
- American Tower the leading independent owner, operator and developer of wireless and broadcast communications towers with more than 14,000 sites in the United States, Mexico and Brazil
- Crown Castle owns more than 750 broadcast towers and 15,000 transmission sites
- SBA more than 15,000 antenna sites in 49 of the 51 major U.S. wireless markets
- Sprint Sites the 4th largest tower management company in the United States
- Hirschfeld Communications over 250 towers
- Pegasus Tower over 8,000 sites
Tower Site of the Week features web tours through broadcaster transmitting facilities.
Here’s Sutro Tower, San Francisco, the World Trade Center (remembered), Dallas and others.
Portland Broadcast Engineers have photo tours of transmitter sites while the Port of Portland has a wonderful history of the KGW towers in Delta Park, about 10 miles north of Portland.
The Port dynamited the tower and took the property out of “play”, turning it into a wetland. Shades of Vanport (the town that vanished under the tower).
PDX Radio has clips from Portland’s radio heritage.
It was Joe Kuran of the Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency who first noted the Nextel interference issues some 5 years ago. He helped develop the Consensus Plan that the FCC largely followed to avoid interference issues between Nextel and public service frequencies.
WCCCA is a regional dispatch center for all fire and law enforcement agencies throughout Washington County and ensures that the District’s radio communications system is functioning properly.
Here’s a shot of Steven Schroedl (above), founder of VeriLAN, installing an outdoor Vivato “G” panel last year on the KGW television mast overlooking downtown Portland. The Vivato “beam” illuminates the region some 45 degrees on either side of the antenna.
While the Vivato can’t be received by an internal WiFi card at long distances, inexpensive WiFi clients with external antennas can be used. VeriLAN did not spend one dime of public money. They just did it.
Related DailyWireless articles include; Portland & Region Get Unwired with Vivato, The World’s Tallest Towers, Public Service Moves to 800Mhz, Nextel Accepts Consensus Swap, Clear Channel: WAN Threat?, Cell Tower Duopoly, Cell Towers On Fire, Portland Votes MetroFi, VeriLAN Tests Prototype Outdoor Vivato, and First Commercial 802.16a.
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