Bipartisan Wi-Fi Innovation Act Introduced in the House

We applaud Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) for introducing H.R. 5125, the bipartisan Wi-Fi Innovation Act.  The leadership and continued work on this issue by these four members is reflective of their commitment to innovation, technology, and bringing about next-generation connectivity through efficient use of spectrum.  The potential uses and features for next-generation Wi-Fi that this bill will help facilitate would be profound and benefit tens of millions of Americans. 

ITI has long supported making greater utilization of the 5 GHz band for unlicensed use as Congress has legislated, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed doing.  Spectrum is an extremely valuable, but limited resource.  We must make certain we are using this resource as efficiently as possible and sharing spectrum where it makes sense to do so.  This legislation will codify an analysis driven approach to making greater use of the 5 GHz band, while ensuring safety features like new technologies in connected vehicles that also use that spectrum are preserved.

Again, we thank Reps. Latta, Eshoo, Issa, and Matsui for their leadership, and hope to see this bill advance in parallel with a similar bill introduced last month in the Senate by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ).  The leadership shown by these elected officials on this issue is greatly appreciated by the technology sector, and will no doubt result in more robust Wi-Fi for their constituents. 

About ITI.  ITI is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies. ITI navigates the relationships between policymakers, companies, and non-governmental organizations, providing creative solutions that advance the development and use of technology around the world. Visit itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter @ITI_TechTweets.

Public Policy Tags: Broadband, Communications, & Spectrum

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