Public Interest Groups Call for 5.9 GHz WiFi Spectrum

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society joined Public Knowledge and New America's Open Technology Institute in the push to open up the lower 45 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi, spectrum heretofore entirely reserved for vehicle-to-vehicle communications (V2V). The other 30 MHz would remain reserved for V2V under a proposal the Federal Communications Commission is considering. In reply comments to the FCC, the groups said that the pandemic-driven work-at-home environment has "upped the urgency" for freeing up more spectrum for unlicensed Wi-Fi broadband connections. "The gigabit-fast Wi-Fi channel the [Fcc] can create by reallocating the lower portion of the virtually unused 5.9 GHz band is high priority because it can be used immediately with existing gear and provides better coverage than any 6 GHz channel for both homes and rural broadband," they said.