The FCC has made TV White Space available to unlicensed providers. This spectrum can be used for a variety of purposes, including broadband internet access in rural areas that might otherwise be un-served. The FCC has touched upon other applications such as broadband access to schools in rural areas, campus networks, home networks to support real time streaming video applications, remote sensing of water supplies and support for smart grid.
The equipment that will be able to use the white space, called TVBD (TV band devices) will have to be certified by the FCC, but it appears that service providers do not have to register or be licensed by the FCC. The Commission has authorized certain database administrators which will provide lists of available channels to TBDs and register fixed TVBDs. These databases will keep track of the TVBDs and other information to ensure that there isn’t
interference between the TVBDs and other devices, such as wireless microphones.
So far, only Spectrum Bridge and Telcordia are approved database administrators.
Links to the following documents provide additional information: FCC rules, FCC
Compliance Guide and the March 2013 Public Notice Authorizing the Database administrators to Provide Service.