By Ryan Johnston
The six gigahertz (“6 GHz”) spectrum band is perfectly suited for Wi-Fi technologies and the other low-power indoor connected devices that households use everyday. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) is considering authorizing two types of devices for use in this band. Both Very Low Power and Low Power Indoor Only devices are crucial for digital equity, inclusion, and continued U.S. leadership in next generation Wi-Fi. From routers to thermostats to speakers, over 60 million households nationwide rely on “smart” devices, and they all require Wi-Fi to remain connected.
Next Century Cities works to achieve universal high-speed Internet access to meet current and future needs. To that end, NCC signed-on to a letter authored by New America’s Open Technology Institute, emphasizing the general importance of Wi-Fi and the following points.
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As the devices and high-bandwidth applications proliferate, they will require increasing bandwidth to accommodate the growing exchange of traffic, making the capacity and capability of the 6 GHz band urgent.
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The tremendous scope of global markets for Wi-Fi depend in large part on the harmonization of both unlicensed spectrum bands and technical rules governing devices.
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Weak indoor signals and any unnecessary reliance on costly and complex database control over Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies will disproportionately deprive low-income households, students, and others of affordable access to this advanced connectivity in the future.
Increasing indoor power levels provides a clear benefit to consumers that require high-speed, robust, and low latency connections. How the Commission crafts its 6 Ghz policies will shape the future Wi-Fi landscape and has the potential to increase consumer welfare, innovation, and economic success for those who need it most. Read the letter in full here.
