FCC heralds a new era of 'super Wi-Fi'

(CNN) -- It's more powerful than your current home network -- able to leap through tall buildings from a single port.

Look, up in the sky.

It's "SUPER Wi-Fi!"

At least that's what U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is calling a new class of bigger-faster-better internet connections, which could jump from fiction to reality after a commission vote on September 23.

Genachowski says "super Wi-Fi," which he also refers to as "Wi-Fi on steroids," may spark a technological revolution in the U.S.

"The spectrum allows signals to travel further, to go through walls, to [transfer] more information -- so it's very robust," he said in an interview with CNN.com. "Super Wi-Fi has extraordinary potential. What's as exciting is we have a new platform for innovation and we can't anticipate what will happen next."

The souped-up system could result in wireless internet connections coming to rural areas, fewer "dead zones" in Wi-Fi networks and the ability to transfer large files easily between machines and computers in hospitals, the FCC says.

Cities might also be able to use the larger Wi-Fi networks to offer up public wireless internet hot spots and perform such tasks as remotely monitoring infrastructure and water quality.

The changes would come about if the FCC votes to open up some of the "white space" between TV channels for use by anyone. More...

09-20-2010 17:10