Griff Wigley, our blog coach extraordinaire, just sent me a couple of articles about TV going Internet – or maybe that’s Internet go to the TV. The article are:

• Washington Post’s (Tech Firms Push to Use TV Airwaves for Internet) and
• National Public Radio (Channel and Web surfing from the same couch? ) – read or hear the article on NPR

So what’s the deal? A group of tech companies (including Microsoft and Google) just presented the FCC with a device that would provide the Internet over the unused space between TV channels. (A comparison was made to broadband spectrum in the wireless world.) If this device works – it will be an opportunity for consumers to access the Internet through their TV. Also it is passes muster with the FCC the device may be available as early as 2009.

(An ironic side note: A friend of mine who owns Select Communications was just showing me live TV on his cell phone this morning!)

The articles point out that this would be a great way to get broadband to rural areas through WiFi and  as small companies might build towers to beam white-space spectrum to farm homes and cabins, and connect it to an Internet provider.

At least as powerful as that, I think back to my conversation with Jack Geller a couple of weeks ago, when he mentioned that there is a certain percentage of people who will never have broadband (or Internet access) because they don’t have a computer. I think this opportunity opens the doors for those folks.

Speaking of opportunity – Internet via TV would clearly create some big opportunities for the companies who have researched the option. Wireless broadband spectrum is costly; currently the television “between channels” is free. It provides new opportunity to compete with wireless providers. And I think it will open some interesting regulations. Just seeing how telecommunications companies handle cable regulation and vice versa I am intrigued to see what comes up here!

The FCC will need a few months to test the new device.