September 25th, 2008
Page accuses broadcasters of 'rigging' poor white-space tests
Speaking on Capitol Hill yesterday, Google cofounder Larry Page accused broadcasters – if not the FCC – of “rigging” tests that found white-space devices interfere with TV broadcasts, the Washington Post reports.
“The test was rigged deliberately,” Page said during his remarks in the Dirksen Office building. “That’s the kind of thing we’ve been up against here, and I find it despicable.”
A Google spokesman said the testers had used the same frequency as local television stations – “in essence hiding within the television spectrum so that the test device could not detect them,” the Post’s Peter Whoriskey said.
“Broadcasters have been very active in this,” he said.
Page pulled out a G1 and said, “The notion that a small device like this is going to interfere is just garbage,” he said.
Wireless mic maker Shure had a ready response to Page’s charges:
“The FCC’s wireless microphone field tests were carefully planned and thoroughly executed based on sound engineering science and real-world operating scenarios. These tests were open to the public, and those who choose to discount the results — which have not yet been published — had every option to be present and to witness them for themselves.”
