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The Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved the use of broadband wireless devices in the “white space” radio spectrum that will be freed up when U.S. television broadcasters switch from analog to digital transmission in February 2009.  Commission chairman Richard Martin says opening the white spaces "will allow for the creation of a WiFi on steroids. It has the potential to improve wireless broadband connectivity and inspire an ever-widening array of new Internet based products and services for consumers."

Over a hundred million Americans have high-speed Internet access. Most of them likely assume that, in return for paying a hefty monthly fee, they can use their Internet service privately, for whatever purpose they want, as long as it’s legal. They’d be wrong.On Friday, for example, a bi-partisan majority of the Federal Communications Commission ordered Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, to stop blocking Internet access for some of its subscribers and "secretly degrading” their service.

A smaller piece of a much bigger pie.  That’s the very simple, but very powerful, thinking behind much of the latest news in wireless communications in the U.S.   It’s helping to create a media environment that’s potentially much more open, diverse and innovative – which would be good news for consumers as well as investors in wireless stocks.