Washington, D.C. –  Today WifiForward released the following statement on the release of the Spectrum and National Security Act by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee: 

“Access to spectrum for unlicensed and shared technologies has made the U.S. a global leader in spectrum policy and must be a key part of our nation’s spectrum future. The Spectrum and National Security Act advances a clear strategy to maintain our global competitiveness,  standing up for innovative technologies like Wi-Fi while protecting federal missions that rely on spectrum. Evidence-based decision-making on how best to make use of radio spectrum contrasts starkly with approaches in countries like China, which prefers to see all global spectrum designated for international mobile telecommunications – and therefore in the hands of Chinese state-sponsored companies like Huawei. The Spectrum and National Security Act takes a technology-neutral approach to design band utilization plans that best advance U.S. needs. WifiForward commends Chair Cantwell for releasing this important legislation, and we look forward to working with her and other policymakers to ensure that the U.S. remains the global spectrum leader.” 

WifiForward Executive Director Mary Brown testified before the Senate Commerce Committee last month on the importance of unlicensed spectrum in driving innovation and maintaining America’s national security. At the hearing, Brown noted that commercialization of valuable federal spectrum resources can unleash economic growth and innovation without incurring exorbitant costs to displace and relocate critical federal incumbents, like the Department of Defense and others, if spectrum policy supports processes that can lead to coexistence by different systems in the same frequency band.

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