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Congressman Jerrold Nadler, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, has an op-ed column in today's The New York Times worrying about white space static next year when television frequencies move from analog to digital:

"Microsoft, Google and others are asking permission to use white spaces — free of charge — for millions of unregulated and unlicensed devices for personal networking systems that they would like to sell, including P.D.A.’s, wireless broadband devices and even toys. These devices could disrupt the new digital TV signals that government and industry have spent so much time and money to promote.In my district, which includes New York’s theater district, performers use wireless microphones on these “unused” frequencies, as do news crews conducting live interviews on the street. Every major sports franchise relies on these channels for in-game communications and sideline interviews. And in rural areas, white spaces are often used for broadband access. Unlicensed devices, like wireless laptops and remote-controlled toys, operating in the white spaces will probably cause havoc to TV viewers, theater goers and sports fans. They could potentially render digital television sets and the government-subsidized converter boxes inoperable. Low-income households, the elderly and people living in multifamily buildings who don’t have cable service and rely on antenna systems could be prevented from watching their favorite programs and from receiving important emergency information — nationwide, that’s 45 million to 60 million people," he writes.