NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: February 20, 2013 Bruce Romano, 202-418-2124 Bruce.Romano@fcc.gov FCC ACTS TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE SPECTRUM AVAILABLE FOR UNLICENSED DEVICES IN THE 5 GHz BAND Washington, D.C. -- The Federal Communications Commission today takes the first steps to unleash significant additional spectrum to accelerate the growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology that can offer faster speeds of one gigabit per second or more, increase overall capacity, and reduce congestion at Wi-Fi hot spots. The Commission proposed to make up to 195 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 5 GHz band (a 35% increase) available to unlicensed wireless devices. It also proposed to create a more flexible regulatory environment, and to streamline existing rules and equipment authorization procedures for devices throughout this band. Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices today operate in 555 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band, and are used for short range, high speed wireless connections including Wi- Fi enabled local area networks and fixed outdoor broadband transceivers used by wireless Internet service providers to connect smart phones, tablets and laptops to the broadband network. The proposed modifications would provide access to additional contiguous spectrum with consistent technical requirements, allowing unlicensed devices to use wider bandwidth channels, leading to faster speeds. Importantly, the initiation of this proceeding also carries out the course of action prescribed by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act of 2012 for expanding spectrum for unlicensed use. Action by the Commission February 20, 2013, by Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FCC 13-22). Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners McDowell, Clyburn, Rosenworcel, and Pai. Separate statements issued by Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners McDowell, Clyburn, Rosenworcel, and Pai. For further information, contact Mark Settle (202-418-2470; mark.settle@fcc.gov ) or Aole Wilkins (202-418-2406; aole.wilkins@fcc.gov). -- FCC --