Microsoft plans to extend internet service using 'buffer zone' technology

Microsoft wants to extend broadband services to rural America by turning to a wireless technology that uses the buffer zones separating individual television channels in the airwaves.

Microsoft plans to partner with rural telecommunications providers in 12 states stretching from Washington to Maine to get about 2 million rural Americans connected to high-speed internet over the next five years.

It's also calling for regulatory cooperation from the Federal Communications Commission and broader support from the public sector to expand rural broadband to the more than 20 million people who don't have it.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said the company won't make money on the operations, but could benefit from serving rural users with its services, many of which run ads or require paid subscriptions.

The project still faces several challenges, including the costs of setting up antennas and service base stations, as well as the devices individual homes will need. Those costs are expected to decline over time, though.

Microsoft has tried using the TV buffer zones, or white space, to provide broadband internet in several countries. But the idea is "still in its infancy," said Parmesh Ramanathan, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Ramanathan said this technology could prove cheaper than existing methods, such as laying down fiber-optic cables, but telecom companies will still need subsidies to make it economical.

To make it work, Microsoft said the FCC will have to guarantee that these buffer zones remain available nationwide - and make even more such zones available in rural areas. Other companies, including Google, have made similar requests.

Microsoft said it will pilot its initiative in rural communities in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.