Leveraging the air wave frequencies used for AM radio and broadcast television, the FCC would provide a baseline level of wireless access that blankets nearly every urban population center, as well as numerous rural areas. Championed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the plan has the FCC purchasing a portion of air wave spectrum rights from local TV stations.
The nationwide network could be strong enough to allow consumers to make calls and access the Internet without going through a cellphone company or Internet service provider. Supporters like Google and Microsoft feel that executing the FCC-sponsored plan would usher in a whole new wave of innovations benefitting the American public.
The $178 billion telecommunications industry has responded to the new-found support for the proposal by the tech industry with a vigorous campaign of its own. According to the Business Insider, Cisco asked the FCC to make the spectrum purchases as outlined by the plan, but instead auction it off to commercial enterprises.
Other opponents of the FCC's current Super Wi-Fi proposal are AT&T, T-Mobile, Intel and Qualcomm.
Image from Shutterstock
