Last week, U.S. Representatives Bob Latta, Anna Eshoo, Darryl Issa, and Doris Matsui introduced H.R. 5125, the Wi-Fi Innovation Act. This bi-partisan legislation will help meet consumers’ soaring demand for mobile broadband services by putting the FCC on the path to free more spectrum in the upper portion of the 5GHz band. As we noted when similar legislation was recently introduced in the Senate, this legislation is critical for the advancement of next-generation unlicensed wireless technology. 

Comcast has built the largest Wi-Fi network in America with over 3 million WiFi hotspots. We plan to have 8 million by the end of this year. And we are very interested in going even further to deliver Gigabit Wi-Fi to the nation. To do so, we’ll need the additional spectrum allocation this legislation is calling for.

Republicans and Democrats, Senators and Representatives all agree: America needs more Wi-Fi spectrum. Beginning two years ago with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral success of the unlicensed spectrum provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Congress  recognized the transformative power of unlicensed spectrum. Forward-looking Members from both sides of the aisle and both Houses of Congress have come together once again to provide a strong and clear path to unleash more unlicensed spectrum for innovative and efficient mobile broadband solutions.

Comcast has a strong commitment to our customers to provide the best Wi-Fi experience possible; we therefore applaud Reps. Latta, Eshoo, Issa, and Matsui for their leadership in this important area and we strongly support this pro-consumer legislation.