Joe:
I spotted this news release and wondered if/how this impacts your company?
WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Regulators are expected Thursday to set aside a slice of the airwaves to allow schools, companies, hospitals and others to send electronic mail, computer data and pictures over their own local wireless networks, industry and government officials said.
The Federal Communications Commission plan also would allow for high-speed access to the Internet over the radio spectrum, especially for schools. Use of the specially designated 300 MHz of spectrum would not require a license.
``You could go to your local electronic store and buy equipment and set it up. No license and no hassles,'' said Henry Goldberg, an attorney representing Apple Computer Inc., an advocate of the proposal.
Users could cram more information over their own wireless network using the airwaves than over a traditional phone line. The FCC first proposed the measure last April.
FCC and industry officials said networks operating over the spectrum could be used by health-care groups, local governments, community groups, schools and hospitals.
For example, hospital workers could transmit medical data over a high-speed wireless network within a hospital.
The wireless networks could especially benefit schools, where it is expensive to break through walls to establish high-speed wired networks for hooking up with the Internet.
``It allows the access points to be put in the classroom very inexpensively. The same thing applies to the business environment or a hospital,'' said Eric DeSilva, an attorney representing the Wireless Information Networks Forum.
The group is a consortium made up of Lucent Technologies Inc., International Business Machines Corp. and other companies seeking to promote wireless networks.
^REUTER@
Reut06:47 01-09-97
Thanks for responding. |
