Unlicensed Spectrum: The Challenge and the Opportunity

[Commentary] This is a story about a uniquely successful government initiative. Over the last three decades, the Federal Communications Commission has created and expanded bands of spectrum which are made available for unlicensed use. Unlicensed use, particularly for Wi-Fi, has enabled a proliferation of consumer devices such as garage door openers, remote controls, baby monitors and wireless speakers. There are also innumerable vital industrial and scientific applications using unlicensed spectrum. A new analysis from the Consumer Electronics Association estimates that unlicensed spectrum uses already generate $62 billion annually for the U.S. economy. Even though this may be somewhat overstated, there is no doubt that freeing up spectrum for unlicensed use has been a roaring success. While many in the tech community, including public interest groups, want even more spectrum to be set aside for unlicensed use, incumbent industries, such as wireless phone companies, prefer the widest possible use of the current system of exclusive licenses.