Last week, the Biden/Harris Administration appointed Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chairwoman of the FCC. Commissioner Rosenworcel, who is only the second woman to helm the agency, is a known champion for Wi-Fi. Her new role at the Commission demonstrates that the Biden FCC will continue to prioritize Wi-Fi as it builds towards a more connected future.

As we look forward to a Rosenworcel-led FCC, we’re encouraged by what the Acting Chairwoman has said about Wi-Fi in the past and what that means for the direction of the FCC. She has long been a proponent of the importance of Wi-Fi to the American economy, innovation and beyond and has been a long-time supporter of opening up both on the 6 GHz and 5.9 GHz bands for Wi-Fi technology.

In an October 2018 tweet, then-Commissioner Rosenworcel drilled the need for “More WiFi More WiFi More WiFi More WiFi” and said that “starts with the 6 GHz and 5.9 GHz band.” At an New America/OTI event in June 2019, she spoke on the importance of unlicensed spectrum towards unlocking the true potential of Wi-Fi, saying “we’re going to need more spectrum, and… we’re going to need to make sure we have wider channels within that spectrum so that we can have Wi-Fi superhighways.”

Most recently, in a November 2020 interview with Bloomberg, she said “unlicensed spectrum or Wi-Fi is a really important part of our economy, so we’re looking for places to grow Wi-Fi and the 6 GHz band is definitely one of the places we’d like to do it.” She continued that, while there is still much to debate on the topic, the FCC is also “looking for other places for Wi-Fi to go, including the 5.9 GHz band.” 

It’s important to remember that Wi-Fi is not a partisan issue, and former Chairman Ajit Pai also pushed for smart spectrum policy during his tenure at the Commission. We are hopeful that, with Acting Commissioner Rosenworcel at the helm, we will continue to make great strides to prioritize Wi-Fi spectrum and connect more Americans.