The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is deciding whether to open up vacant TV channels - also known as white spaces - to communities, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs for wireless broadband and advanced communications. Opening up these vacant channels presents a valuable opportunity to bring broadband to rural communities.

Only a third of rural residents have access to broadband at home, according to a 2007 survey from the Pew Internet and America Life Projects. Rural communities have long heard promises of telehealth and long-distance education, but without access to broadband, the benefits of high-speed Internet remain a neglected promise. Access to broadband will provide rural residents with important opportunities for education, health, economic development, and public safety.

Vacant TV channels will enable Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) to reach underserved areas of rural America. These signals can penetrate buildings, cut through dense foliage, and travel over mountains and long distances, providing a cost-effective solution for the rural broadband problem.

Check out this video produced by People's Production House to learn more about the innovation of the internet and how Vacant TV Channels, or White Spaces, can help us deploy access to Rural America:

Take Action:

Join Rural Strategies in siging and sending a letter to the FCC.
Download the letter in Word format or PDF format.

Read more about vacant TV channels in a paper by the New America Foundation in PDF format

Download the White Spaces Resource Pack in PDF format. (Via the Media and Democracy Coalition)