The Federal Communications Commission announced on February 20, 2013, that it intends to propose new rules to govern the next generation of Wi-Fi technology. This is an important development for convention centers, large hotel/conference facilities, airports and any other facility that struggles with Wi-Fi congestion because of the insatiable appetite of high-volume wireless users. The FCC’s proposal will include making spectrum available in the 5 GHz band for ultra-high-speed, high-capacity Wi-Fi known as “Gigabit Wi-Fi”.
This is a priority item for the FCC Chairman, with action expected within the year. In addition, equipment incorporating this new technology will soon be available in the marketplace, even though the new Wi-Fi technical standard has not yet been finalized. Accordingly, it is not too early to start considering upgrading your Wi-Fi systems.
Stay tuned for more updates as the FCC moves forward with its rulemaking.
If you have any questions, please contact me anytime.
About the Editor
Greg Duff founded and chairs Foster Garvey’s national Hospitality, Travel & Tourism group. His practice largely focuses on operations-oriented matters faced by hospitality industry members, including sales and marketing, distribution and e-commerce, procurement and technology. Greg also serves as counsel and legal advisor to many of the hospitality industry’s associations and trade groups, including AH&LA, HFTP and HSMAI.