Wi-Fi plays a central role in America’s daily operations, from powering personal connectivity in the home to facilitating digital workplaces, education, healthcare, small businesses, agriculture, manufacturing, and much more.
Without adequate spectrum for unlicensed use, America faces the possibility of Wi-Fi congestion, which would undermine the connectivity that keeps people productive, entertained, and informed. Not only that, but America will lose out on significant economic growth, given how many critical sectors rely on Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi is equally critical to public safety — a field where reliable, real-time communication helps emergency personnel respond faster and operate more effectively. Adoption of IoT and connected devices in public safety has surged in recent years, with agencies increasingly relying on digital tools to access information, coordinate teams, and maintain situational awareness during emergencies.
Smarter devices, faster response
Today’s first responders rely on a growing ecosystem of Wi-Fi-enabled tools that improve accuracy, speed, and decision-making in the field. Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and emergency managers use connected devices to share real-time information and stay operational during fast-moving incidents.
Wi-Fi supports tools such as:
- Body cameras that upload high-definition video
- Tablets with access to digital patient records
- Real-time geolocation and routing apps
- Building blueprints and hazard data for fire response
- Wearable sensors that monitor health and environmental conditions
For example, firefighters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, use Wi-Fi-connected tablets to access building layouts en route to a call, helping them plan safer and more efficient entry strategies before they arrive on scene.
These capabilities depend on strong, low-latency Wi-Fi that ensures critical information reaches responders without delay.
Command centers that can move with the crisis
Emergencies rarely stay confined to one location — and command operations increasingly need to move with them. Wi-Fi powers mobile command centers that can be deployed quickly wherever coordination is needed, from the site of a natural disaster to a large-scale public event or a community-wide search.
Mobile units rely on Wi-Fi to:
- Connect field teams with hospitals, 911 centers, and other agencies
- Share live video and data feeds
- Provide backup communications when traditional infrastructure is disrupted
- Enable rapid deployment of operations in remote or damaged areas
By delivering real-time connectivity, mobile command centers help responders maintain situational awareness and coordinate seamlessly even when traditional infrastructure is down.
Connectivity builds resilience
During natural disasters, traditional communications networks can fail. When wired infrastructure is damaged or cell towers go offline, Wi-Fi solutions offer a lifeline to both responders and the community.
In recent emergencies, agencies have deployed:
- Mesh networks to restore connectivity across impacted zones
- Portable Wi-Fi nodes to support field teams
- Drone-mounted Wi-Fi to stream live video from inaccessible areas
During the 2023 Maui wildfires, for example, drone-based Wi-Fi provided real-time footage to command centers, giving responders visibility into areas too dangerous for ground teams.
NCTA’s new docufilm “After the Storm” explores these challenges firsthand, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how broadband providers mobilize to rebuild infrastructure and reconnect communities after hurricanes, wildfires, and floods.
Communities depend on this connectivity as well. Public Wi-Fi hotspots help residents report emergencies, receive evacuation alerts, and access essential information. Schools and libraries frequently become crisis resource hubs, offering connectivity, charging stations, and shelter. In many rural or underserved regions, Wi-Fi powered by shared spectrum is often the only reliable link to help when disaster strikes.
Spectrum access is a public safety imperative
As emergency response becomes increasingly digital, access to unlicensed and shared spectrum is more than a tech issue – it’s a public safety necessity.
First responders need strong and uninterrupted Wi-Fi connections, particularly in crowded environments or crisis zones where networks are strained. Expanding access to shared and unlicensed spectrum helps ensure that public safety networks can scale, remain online, and perform reliably under any conditions. Wi-Fi is central to keeping emergency teams informed and ready to act when every second matters.
To learn more about the important role that Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum play in the broadband ecosystem, visit NCTA.com.
