Bill would increase spectrum allocation for Wi-Fi

Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and George Allen, R-Va., yesterday introduced legislation that would require the FCC to increase the amount of unlicensed spectrum allocated for Wi-Fi and other wireless broadband devices. The legislation now heads to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for debate.

Dubbed the Jumpstart Broadband Act of 2003, the bill would require the FCC to set aside for unlicensed devices 255 MHz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band, which is less prone to interference problems. This band is also attractive because Japan, Brazil, Canada and Europe have designated it for the same purpose. Should the U.S. follow suit, equipment manufacturers would be able to manufacture equipment that could be used both here and abroad.

Also, the Department of Defense (DOD) owns a healthy amount of spectrum in this band, much of which isn’t being used at the moment. According to sources, the legislation seeks to grant wireless broadband services such as Wi-Fi a secondary use designation. The theory is that in time smart technology would develop that would be capable of identifying swaths of the 5 GHz band that aren’t being used and allow wireless broadband devices to jump into it, without interfering with DOD equipment.

“This can be solved relatively easily if people want to solve it,” said Allen, who added that he and Boxer would not have introduced the legislation if they thought use of the 5 GHz band “would harm our national defense in any way.”

Boxer and Allen hope that additional spectrum will spark increased demand for Wi-Fi services, which in turn will create additional investment in the technology and other wireless broadband technologies. Both senators are dismayed by the morass that has emerged from the protracted debate over regulatory policies governing more traditional forms of broadband–specifically digital subscriber line and cable modem services – that has retarded broadband deployments.

In introducing the legislation, Allen said, “I think it is beneficial to shift the policy discussion away from this debate and focus on something positive Congress can do that fosters innovation, stimulates the technology and telecom sectors, and encourages the adoption of broadband services.”

Wi-Fi is particularly attractive in the view of Boxer and Allen because it doesn’t require hard wiring, despite the fact the reach of the platform is limited to a radius of 300 feet and capacity is limited to 10 Mb/s.