Ry Crist

With the broadband gap laid bare by the events of 2020, 2021 saw a renewed focus on meeting the challenge once and for all.

Every six months, the Federal Communications Commission releases updated data on the respective coverage of every internet provider in the US. That includes coverage maps as well as metrics on the types of technologies being used, the number of customers that fall into each provider's footprint, and the specific upload and download speeds available to those customers, should they choose to sign up.

Months after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai reiterated his support for plans to allocate more than 1,200 megahertz of unlicensed spectrum on the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi usage, the Wi-Fi industry is moving to hit the ground running with the additional real estate in 2020.

Promising a "new Wi-Fi era," the nonprofit Wi-Fi Alliance industry group launched the Wi-Fi Certified 6 program. The program aims to hold devices that use next-gen 802.11ax Wi-Fi radios to an established set of standards. Manufacturers that participate get to put a little certification badge on their packaging. That badge is important because it lets you know that the device supports Wi-Fi 6 (the consumer-friendly synonym for 802.11ax) and all of the speedy new bells and whistles that come with it.