Google and Microsoft have teamed with Comcast and Time Warner Cable to advocate freeing up more unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi.

The group, WifiForward, says the government should “protect and strengthen existing unlicensed spectrum designations; free up new spectrum for unlicensed use at a variety of frequencies, including low, medium, and high frequency bands; and establish investment-friendly, transparent and predictable unlicensed rules that encourage growth and deployment.”

The Federal Communications Commission promised more than a year ago to add 195MHz to the 5GHz Wi-Fi band. An FCC spokesperson told Ars that the process is still “ongoing.” Separate efforts to expand unlicensed airwaves may move forward as part of a broadcast TV spectrum auction next year, and a proceeding on using small cells in the 3.5GHz band, the spokesperson said. Those wouldn’t necessarily add to Wi-Fi itself, but to other wireless technologies that can be used for Internet access, such as White Space networks.
WifiForward warned that Wi-Fi spectrum could soon be overloaded.

“Wi-Fi is everywhere,” the group said. “Cisco predicts that by 2017, Wi-Fi devices will power a majority of all Internet traffic. All of the devices you and your family use every day rely on Wi-Fi—and those demands are only increasing. And with the ‘Internet of Things,’ machines will need more and more of it to communicate with each other. But this growth may mean that getting on the Internet through your Wi-Fi connections will soon be like trying to drive in rush hour traffic on too narrow a road—frustrating and slow-moving.”

The complete list of members includes the American Library Association, Arris, Best Buy, Broadcom, CCIA, CEA, Charter, Comcast, CompTIA, Engine Advocacy, Fastback Networks, Google, International Association of Venue Managers, Microsoft, Motorola, NCTA, schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, and Time Warner Cable, which is in the process of being purchased by Comcast.

Comcast and other cable companies have been working to create large networks of Wi-Fi hotspots. Notably absent from WifiForward are mobile carriers, who could reduce demand on cellular networks by offloading more traffic onto Wi-Fi.