Dolly Parton Lobbies FCC in Spectrum Availability

Dolly Parton was workin’ 9 to 5 today on the FCC white space controversy, fightin’ for the right to the airwaves, takin’ on everyone from Bill Gates to Google Inc.

Parton asked the agency to protect the white space spectrum that will be freed up by next year’s mandated move to digital TV. The thus unused broadcast spectrum is something many tech companies would like to see auctioned off to be used for wireless Internet services.

But Parton represents the opposing view. Broadcasters and microphone companies are arguing that use of that spectrum would cause massive interference issues.

"As someone who uses the white spaces and knows the value of them for the work that I and many of my friends do around the country, I ask the FCC to recognize the entertainment industry's valuable contribution to the cultural life," Parton wrote in a brief. "I can unequivocally confirm that the importance of clear, consistent wireless microphone broadcasts simply cannot be overstated. This industry relies on wireless technology and is in jeopardy of being irreversibly devastated by the commission's pending decision."

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