FCC to Vote on UWB Rules

The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote Dec. 15 on rules governing operation of ultra-wideband (UWB) service, a nascent wireless technology that has the cable industry concerned about signal interference.

The cable industry and a few broadcasters have told the FCC that UWB service, if not regulated properly, would likely interfere with satellite transmission of cable networks to thousands of cable headends.

The FCC announced plans to vote on new UWB rules late Wednesday.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has endorsed a proposal for UWB providers to operate at lower-than-normal power levels in the satellite-downlink bands used by cable networks.

Designed to operate at low power levels, UWB is a high-speed-data service that can transfer movie files in a matter of seconds.