It’s not every day that a decision at a federal agency unlocks trillions of dollars in economic value for our country, makes the U.S. a global leader, and benefits consumers daily. But that is what happened at the FCC five years ago today.
On April 23, 2020, the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously to allocate spectrum in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use to accommodate the substantial and ever-growing increase in Wi-Fi demand and ensure “faster, more efficient broadband connections for the American people.”
This prescient decision has delivered real results for American households, consumers, and businesses. The FCC’s bipartisan, forward-looking action allowed Wi-Fi networks to meet demand, deliver higher speeds and lower latencies, and increase reliability – while not interfering with incumbent services in the 6 GHz band. Consumers experience these benefits every day through a wide range of connected devices, including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, and IoT devices, like smart doorbells and wearable health trackers. And now, five years later, between 80% and 90% of all smartphone internet traffic travels over Wi-Fi – not cellular networks.
Opening up the 6 GHz band has unleashed trillions in economic value. At the time, the move to open the 6 GHz band was expected to generate more than $180 billion in U.S. revenue over five years. Now, in 2025, we know that it has far exceeded those expectations. In 2023 and 2024 alone, this massive policy success generated an estimated $870 billion of incremental economic value.
The FCC’s bold move secured America’s status as a world leader. The U.S. was the first country to make the entire 6 GHz band available for Wi-Fi, prioritizing innovation and the way Americans connect. In the five years since, the rest of the world has followed suit, with nearly 70 countries opening up some or all of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use. As then-Commissioner and now-Chairman Brendan Carr has said of the decision, “When America goes first, the world takes notice…Consumers here are now benefitting from better, faster Wi-Fi and 5G services in their homes.”
One outlier country that has not done the same: China, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to view the accessibility of Wi-Fi as a threat and, as a result, has restricted the 6 GHz band for the exclusive use of state-sanctioned carriers. This directly benefits Huawei – a Chinese telecommunications giant known to be owned or controlled by the Chinese military. The U.S. should continue to set the standard for innovation around the globe – to the benefit our American consumers and businesses, and the detriment of our adversaries.
Now, five years after the FCC’s landmark decision, demand for Wi-Fi is skyrocketing, and consumers expect their connections to keep pace. Current estimates show that by 2027, the annual U.S. economic value of Wi-Fi is projected to reach $2.4 trillion. Additionally, the demand for Wi-Fi devices using the 6 GHz band will grow an additional 288% by 2029. To continue to deliver for consumers, harness future economic potential, and solidify U.S. leadership, policymakers should build on this success by setting aside additional spectrum for Wi-Fi use.