FCC Adopts Rules for Wireless Technology

U.S. regulators adopted rules to license swaths of airwaves that would use new wireless technology to send large amounts of data over devices being developed by communications equipment makers.

The Federal Communications Commission approved an order to license commercial users of the airwaves, which are now allocated to satellite, broadcast, radio astronomy services and the U.S. government. The agency plans to sell licenses to use the airwaves as early as next year.

Cisco Systems Inc., Harris Corp. and several closely held companies that were proponents of opening the spectrum are developing equipment to send signals through the air at speeds equivalent to fiber optic networks.