As global competition for digital leadership intensifies, NCTA President & CEO Cory Gardner is warning that Europe is on the verge of a serious policy mistake—one that could stifle innovation, hurt consumers and hand a strategic advantage to China.
In a new Fierce Network op-ed, Gardner argues that despite Europe’s stated ambitions to compete in the digital economy, years of heavy-handed regulation have already discouraged investment and driven innovation elsewhere. Now, he writes, the European Commission risks compounding those mistakes by moving toward exclusive licensed use of the upper 6 GHz band.
That recommendation would undermine the technology that quietly powers modern connectivity. “For all the attention given to 5G and 6G, Wi-Fi remains the quiet — and often overlooked — workhorse of the global internet,” Gardner writes. In the U.S., 80% to 90% of mobile internet traffic flows over Wi-Fi, supporting everything from remote work and telehealth to education and manufacturing.
Gardner emphasizes that Wi-Fi innovation continues to accelerate, with Wi-Fi 7 already rolling out and Wi-Fi 8 close behind. The economic stakes are massive. A recent study found that without full access to the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, the U.S. economy would have forfeited more than $2.1 trillion in value between 2025 and 2027. “That’s quite the warning shot,” Gardner writes.
The United States, he argues, made the right call in 2020 when the FCC opened the full 6 GHz band for unlicensed use—helping drive faster speeds, lower latency and greater capacity across the economy. “Today the United States leads the world in deploying these technologies, and that leadership isn’t accidental,” Gardner notes.
By contrast, Europe’s proposed approach closely mirrors long-standing efforts by China to push exclusive mobile-only allocations that favor state-aligned companies over open, U.S.-led Wi-Fi innovation. Gardner concludes that as global leaders shape the future of connectivity, they should follow the U.S. model—unlocking spectrum, fueling competition and promoting open innovation—rather than embracing scarcity and control.
