(Telecompaper) Microsoft will be putting its support behind TV white-space technology for broadband acess, as an effective way of addressing the digital divide between urban and rural areas in the US, the Wall Street Journal reported, saying chief legal officer Brad Smith is expected to make the announcement in a speech on 11 July. Smith also plans to encourage the government to ensure white-space spectrum is available on an unlicensed basis in every market in the country, and to consider the technology as it develops a new national infrastructure proposal. The Federal Communications Commission estimates more than 23 million people in rural areas lack fast internet access, or speeds from at least 25 Mbps. Cities commonly have service speeds of over 100 Mbps.