The FCC says it wants to accelerate the growth and expansion of Wi-Fi capable of speeds of 1Gbit/s or more, thus increasing overall wireless access capacity and reducing hotspot congestion.

To that end the commission is planning to release 195 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 5 GHz band (555 MHz is allocated at the moment) and make it available to unlicensed wireless devices. That would increase the available WiFi spectrum in the US by 35 per cent.

The FCC is also proposing a more flexible set of rules and regulations on licensing WiFi equipment. However, the agency has warned that because of the many other users in the band there will have to be a significant period of consultation to ensure non-interfering shared use.