Here’s an important truth. All of those convenient wireless devices you have in your home – from smartphones, TVs, and laptops, to gaming devices, digital cameras, and more – need access to unlicensed spectrum. And if there’s not enough unlicensed spectrum, then there will be no devices that keep you connected.
Read More “BLOG: Want the Latest in Gaming Technology? Then You Need More Unlicensed Spectrum.”
Rapid Wi-Fi growth in our homes, businesses, and schools puts more demand on the unlicensed spectrum that supports it, and with no end to that growth in sight, spectrum exhaustion is coming quickly. But just how will you know when that happens? Will your devices stop working, or will your once crystal clear 4K or 8K video streaming to your new flat screen TV start to freeze, waiting for more packets to arrive? Without more unlicensed spectrum to allow Wi-Fi to keep growing, you’ll start to see more and more congestion, causing your Zoom or FaceTime calls to pixilate and buffer, your podcast audio to break up, and all the other connections to your favorite apps will get slower.
Read More “BLOG: What Wi-Fi Exhaustion Means for Consumers – And How to Prevent It”
Washington, D.C. – Today WifiForward released the following statement regarding Olivia Trusty’s confirmation as Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):
“WifiForward congratulates Olivia Trusty on her confirmation to the FCC. With a decade of distinguished service in Congress, including key roles on both the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee, she has extensive expertise in communications law and policy. Commissioner Trusty will bring her deep knowledge of spectrum, broadband policy, and national security issues to the FCC to help shape how American consumers experience an increasingly connected world. We look forward to working with her.”
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Today, WifiForward released the following statement reacting to the Senate Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation text:
“The Senate’s spectrum proposal gives the FCC the flexibility to ensure that Wi-Fi will continue to support the important public policy goals envisioned by the Trump Administration in 2020, including generating trillions of dollars in economic value for the U.S. economy, advancing U.S. interests globally against China, and delivering fast, reliable connections to American households across the country. While a clear carve-out is preferable, we look forward to working with policymakers to ensure that consumer needs are put first as the bill continues through the reconciliation process.”
Washington, D.C. – As Congress continues to debate budget reconciliation legislation, some have suggested that the upper 700 megahertz of the unlicensed 6 GHz band should be repurposed for licensed mobile services. A new study released today shows that this approach would cause significant economic losses over the next two years alone, forfeiting $2.11 trillion in U.S. economic value by 2027. Read More “PRESS RELEASE: New Report Shows Repurposing Upper 6 GHz Band for Licensed Use Would Cost Trillions in Economic Benefits”
Today, WifiForward released the following statement reacting to the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation text: Read More “STATEMENT: WifiForward Reacts to the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Budget Reconciliation Text”
Washington, D.C.- A new report released today by WifiForward underscores the high economic stakes of ongoing policy discussions surrounding spectrum allocation in the 6 GHz band. The findings reveal that limiting Wi-Fi to just the lower 500 MHz of the 6 GHz band could forfeit over $1.74 trillion in U.S. economic value over the next two years alone.
Americans are buying Wi-Fi 7—the latest generation of Wi-Fi—faster than any Wi-Fi generation to date—and real-world testing helps explain why. In the first phase of a new field trial, the Wireless Broadband Alliance and CableLabs evaluated Wi-Fi 7 in a typical residential environment, comparing performance across different channel sizes in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. The 6 GHz band importantly enables 160 MHz or 320 MHz wide channels that are unavailable in the 5 GHz band, which in this test used 80 MHz wide channels.
New Report: More Spectrum Needed to Combat Projected Wi-Fi Congestion
Within 5 years, as many as 54 million Americans will be at risk of Wi-Fi congestion and exhaust as demand for Wi-Fi skyrockets. Allocating additional spectrum for Wi-Fi will help mitigate the projected congestion, but lawmakers must act now.
Read More “PRESS RELEASE: New Report: More Spectrum Needed to Combat Projected Wi-Fi Congestion”
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.