Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the race to 5G and received testimony on the ways American companies are harnessing the power of wireless technologies, as well as the role policymakers can play in driving wireless innovation.

It was apparent from the witnesses’ testimony that no one technology, company, or industry is 5G, and that delivering a true 5G experience will require the combined strengths of many technologies, deployers, and operators.

Policymakers are rightly interested in helping American companies win the race to 5G. And there seemed to be consensus from last week’s hearing that the future of our wireless networks will require a balanced spectrum policy encompassing robust accessing to sufficient licensed, unlicensed and shared or coordinated spectrum (such as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service.)

But delivering better wireless broadband service to all Americans also entails making sure rural America isn’t left behind in the race to 5G. Members of Congress and the witnesses present discussed how unlicensed and coordinated spectrum will be critical to that goal.

While witnesses and policymakers alike talked about the importance of sufficient licensed and unlicensed spectrum throughout the entire radio frequency, one exchange, focusing specifically on the 5.9 GHz band, emphasized what’s at stake for consumers.

“Opening the 5.9 GHz band, which has been unused for more than 20 years, for unlicensed use is one of the most immediately impactful steps policymakers can take to help meet the growing demand for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies,” said WifiForward member Charter Communications’ Craig Cowden.

Cowden went on to emphasize that we’re approaching ‘exhaust’ of existing Wi-Fi spectrum resources in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Our insatiable demand for wireless services just keeps growing. That prompted the following exchange between he and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI):

“I guess what you’re saying is that if we open up the 5.9 GHz band and do a couple of other things we can meet the demand – if we don’t, we won’t?,” asked Senator Schatz. To which Cowden replied, “That’s exactly correct, Senator.”

As we’ve noted before, the 5.9 GHz band is our country’s best near-term unlicensed spectrum opportunity for several reasons. First, the band is large enough to support wireless innovation and investment, while at the same time being able to support widespread consumer operations.

In addition, it is immediately adjacent to the existing 5.8 GHz unlicensed band, which already supports thousands of Wi-Fi-enabled services and technologies on millions of consumer devices.

If the U.S. is to win the global race to 5G, a balanced spectrum policy is essential. Sufficient access to unlicensed spectrum and technologies will help ensure a robust 5G future.