U.S may ease path to new devices for Motorola, Microsoft, HP

U.S. regulators set a vote on letting companies such as Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Motorola Inc. offer devices that use airwaves between television channels.

Rules to prevent the wireless devices from interfering with TV channels will be taken up at the Sept. 23 meeting of the Federal Communications Commission, the agency said in an e- mailed notice today.

The FCC approved frequencies for use by the devices in 2008, rejecting claims by broadcasters that the transmissions could disrupt TV signals. Since then, the agency has been considering the rules against interference.

Companies "plan to accelerate ongoing investments" for devices using the airwaves once rules are made final, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Dell Inc. and Google Inc. said in a July 19 letter to the FCC.

The airwaves to be made available are better able to penetrate walls than airwaves commonly used for WiFi wireless communications today, and devices can attain greater range with the same power, the companies said.

The FCC should take care to protect "tens of millions of TV receivers" in setting rules, the Washington-based National Association of Broadcasters said in an Aug. 27 letter. Also signing the letter was MSTV, the Association for Maximum Service Television, the broadcast industry's Washington-based trade group for technology issues.