FCC Must Find More Spectrum for Wi-Fi, Rosenworcel Says

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC should make more spectrum available for Wi-Fi, in a speech Monday at the South by Southwest conference. Rosenworcel started by noting that, defying likely expectations, she wasn’t going to talk about net neutrality. “No matter where you stand, I think we can all agree that this issue does not lack attention,” she said according to prepared remarks. Instead, Rosenworcel focused on Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum: “We have to find more places in our airwaves for unlicensed services like Wi-Fi. We are using more Wi-Fi than ever before, and this use is only going to grow.” Rosenworcel said the FCC should pay attention as work continues on LTE-unlicensed. “The standards development process for LTE-U is ongoing, and we need to be mindful of its impact on unlicensed spectrum use,” she said. Congress also should rethink how it values spectrum, Rosenworcel said. The Congressional Budget Office assigns value to spectrum when it's licensed and sold at auction, she said: “So bills that direct the FCC to sell licensed spectrum get high grades, while legislation that creates more spectrum for Wi-Fi gets low marks. This accounting method is outdated. Because it fails to take into account the more than $140 billion in economic activity unlicensed spectrum creates each year. That economic activity can grow -- if we find a new way to put Wi-Fi on the books.” The FCC was also right to make clear that it won't tolerate blocking of Wi-Fi, she said. Marriott International was fined $600,000 by the FCC in October for blocking personal Wi-Fi networks at its Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville (see 1410060066). The hotel chain announced in January it would no longer block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices at any of its hotels (see 1501150064). “We got a little noisy on this one in Washington,” Rosenworcel said. “That’s a victory for hotel guests and a gain for Wi-Fi connectivity. I hope it is also a lesson for other premises operators. Because blocking Wi-Fi connections while simultaneously charging high fees to connect is a bad idea.”