A Cloudy Future for 6 GHz Wi-Fi, but Clear Skies Above

As the demand for ultra-fast, reliable wireless connectivity has surged in recent years, the sub-6 GHz unlicensed spectrum has become heavily congested and unsuitable in many areas for reliable ISP service delivery. Additional spectrum above 6 GHz was allocated in 2021, bringing hope for further expansion of affordable unlicensed-band service. Now a proposed Senate budget reconciliation bill could reduce or reallocate parts of the 6 GHz band currently used for unlicensed Wi-Fi. If enacted, this move threatens to curtail the rollout of Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and other next-gen technologies that rely on this spectrum.