Microsoft, as part of a high-tech coalition that includes Intel, Google, and Dell, will give testimony today before the FCC refuting that commission's claim that the use of "vacant TV airwaves," also called "white space," for Internet access will interfere with the television signal, according to the Washington Post. Of course the broadcast media industry will refute these claims because it views high technology Microsoft, as part of a high-tech coalition that includes Intel, Google, and Dell, will give testimony today before the FCC refuting that commission’s claim that the use of “vacant TV airwaves,” also called “white space,” for Internet access will interfere with the television signal, according to the Washington Post.Of course the broadcast media industry will refute these claims because it views high technology as a threat to its hegemony — as well it might, as more and more people turn away from the vacuous airwaves and turn on their PCs for communications, information, and entertainment.Those in favor of the technology say the use of white space in the broadcast signal is less expensive than fiber optics and phone lines. More important, if we are sincere about closing the digital divide between the haves and have-nots, what better way than to be able to access the Internet over a TV, of which there are still millions more than computers in the home?A spokesperson for the National Association of Broacasters, Dennis Wharton, called Microsoft’s proposal “self-serving,” according to the Post. What else is new? Of course both sides are self-serving. The question is whose self-serving agenda best serves us peons. If you’ve ever accessed the Internet over a television set in a hotel room, you know it is hardly worth the trouble. The display is big and grainy, and navigating with the wireless keyboard they usually supply is agony.But with high-speed connections and Wi-Fi now available in every major hotel, why would anyone want to bother or need to? Speaking for myself, sometimes flopping down on your hotel bed after a miserable day of waiting on line at airports, packed flights, and long taxi lines until you take your $50 ride to the hotel might be nice. I would like to just flip on the TV and view my e-mail rather than having to unpack and set up my notebook.There are other uses as well. If you could access a quality connection over the TV, you could access your home network and retrieve videos, movies, and music (which means, I guess, the hotel industry will fight this, too).Despite the FCC’s reservations and the NAB opposition, this is going to happen one way or another. It is only a matter of time. Technology Industry