Silicon Valley Wins as FCC Moves to Open Airwaves for Wi-Fi

  • FCC’s Pai seen readying seek vote April 23 on plan for 6GHz
  • Google, Facebook see quick, ubiquitous route for web traffic
Photographer: Michael Short/Bloomberg
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Federal regulators plan to open a new airwaves swath to Wi-Fi devices in a win for Silicon Valley companies such as Google, Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc. that see the spectrum as a fast, ubiquitous connection to the internet.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai plans to set the new use of the so-called 6GHz airwaves to a vote by the agency at its April 23 meeting, said two people briefed on his plans who were not authorized to discuss the matter before it becomes public.