The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing tomorrow called “Challenges and Opportunities in the 5 GHz Spectrum Band.” While a number of things are sure to be discussed, the most important will be how the U.S. can address the current unlicensed spectrum crunch and ensure access to widely available, speedy wireless broadband. The hearing will explore the specific hurdles, both technological and physical, that Wi-Fi faces as well as the huge opportunities for the US to be a leader in developing gigabit Wi-Fi technology.
Wi-Fi has become a cornerstone of the communications network in America. More data is carried over Wi-Fi than wireline and cellular combined. But the technology that enables Wi-Fi (both public and private) is under enormous pressure. More devices, more users, and more data are testing the limits of our current system. And new super-fast Wi-Fi protocols currently rolling out in the marketplace will require even wider lanes on the unlicensed highway to embrace their full potential. We need to plan for the future now and move quickly in the 5 GHz spectrum band. That’s where the new gigabit Wi-Fi standard is designed to work and where products are already on the market to take advantage of the faster speeds.
Expanding broadband Wi-Fi access and promoting the expansion of business-class, coordinated Wi-Fi access points can be a game changer for consumers. Gigabit Wi-Fi means more innovation and economic growth. It can help bridge the digital divide, improve public safety, telecommuting, and telemedicine – the list goes on. There are already over 200,000 cable Wi-Fi hotspots in America – and that number is growing every day. By making more of the 5 GHz band available for unlicensed use, the FCC can help provide new incentives that will nurture and sustain the continued growth of the unlicensed economy.
Growing the number of access points would, as Michael Calabrese, Director of the Wireless Future Project at the New America Foundation said, “put clouds of connectivity over a dozen or more major metro areas.” The hearing will begin at 2:00pm. More information can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee website.