Spectrum and Wi-Fi: The Airwaves that Power Your Library
Many of today’s most critical library services – ranging from library Wi-Fi to hotspot lending, to book checkouts – rely on an invisible resource: spectrum. Policymakers manage this valuable resource by setting rules determining who can use specific parts of the spectrum and how. These policy choices are vitally important for libraries, as they influence public Wi-Fi access and many library services.
What is Spectrum?
How do our devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, TV remotes, printers, and gaming consoles, communicate with each other? They use electromagnetic (EM) waves, also known as spectrum, to support wireless communication.
Electromagnetic waves are naturally created by the interplay of electric and magnetic fields, moving through space. The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of EM waves organized by frequency, or wavelength. Over time humans have learned to harness different parts of this spectrum for various purposes. Lower frequencies (longer waves) are useful for sending information, while higher frequencies (shorter waves) have other applications:
Radio spectrum: 3 kHz to 300 GHz (used for Wi-Fi, cellular, TV, and radio)
Microwaves: ~300 MHz to 300 GHz
Infrared: ~300 GHz to ~400 THz
Visible light: ~400 THz to 790 THz
Ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays: Higher frequencies
Our understanding and use of non-visible parts of the spectrum began in the 1800s. This knowledge eventually led to the development of technologies that work “over the airwaves,” such as wireless telegraphs, radio, TV, cellular networks, Wi-Fi, as well as radar, remote controls, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In other words, the EM spectrum is an invisible, yet essential, infrastructure in the modern world.
What Does Spectrum Have to Do with Wi-Fi?
In the 1980s, the FCC began authorizing unlicensed spectrum, which anyone can use. The goal was to encourage innovation by allowing experimentation without requiring people to pay for expensive licenses. This “spectrum sandbox” led to technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which continue to rely on unlicensed spectrum and are critical to modern connectivity. Today, Wi-Fi operates on unlicensed bands in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz ranges. It powers internet access, smart devices, and more. Wi-Fi also helps reduce some cellular network congestion by offloading traffic, improving connectivity overall.
Why Does Spectrum Matter to Libraries?
America’s libraries rely on spectrum to provide essential services. Nearly all public libraries (99.4%) offer Wi-Fi internet access to their communities for schoolwork, job applications, research, and more. Many libraries also loan hotspots to patrons and students for home use – a critical measure to bridge both the digital divide and the homework gap. Wi-Fi hotspots both in and outside of libraries run on spectrum. Spectrum also powers library RFID systems for book check-in/check-out and inventory tracking; applications such as wireless printing; and library makerspaces with drones, robotics, or IoT devices. Without sufficient spectrum access, these services could become slow or unreliable. Since spectrum is critical to modern library operations, it’s important to understand how it works and how it’s regulated.
How is Spectrum Managed?
One major challenge is that spectrum is limited. Only so much data can travel on a given wavelength in a specific location before interference occurs. This can cause “traffic jams” in the airwaves, leading to things like slow or unreliable mobile phone or Wi-Fi service. To prevent interference, policymakers regulate who can use what parts of the spectrum and how. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) work together to reserve some parts of the spectrum for critical uses such as defense and emergency response. The FCC also licenses other parts of the spectrum to commercial providers – such as wireless carriers, ISPs, and satellite companies – who pay for access for a particular period (ex: 10 years).
Current Spectrum Policy Discussions
The growing number of devices and data demands require more efficient spectrum use. To accommodate this growing demand, the federal government has already adjusted how spectrum is allocated. This includes making more efficient use of existing spectrum (such as using TV white space), adding new areas for unlicensed spectrum (such as opening the 6GHz band in 2020), as well as sharing spectrum (as via the Citizens Broadband Radio Service or CBRS). Shared spectrum means that two or more types of users access the same frequency bands, under rules designed to avoid interference. These policy actions have provided significant benefits. CBRS, for one, has enabled wireless internet services in underserved tribal and rural areas. In other words, while we can’t build a new highway, we can find ways to use the lanes of the existing highway (the EM spectrum) more effectively. Current policy discussions on spectrum focus on how to best do this, including what portion of the spectrum should be licensed for commercial use versus unlicensed for everyone’s use.
In July 2025, this issue came to a head with the passage of the One Bill Beautiful Bill Act, which included a provision requiring the FCC to auction off more spectrum. While the bill protects some parts of the spectrum from auction, the 6Ghz band and CBRS are vulnerable – meaning that unlicensed spectrum that currently powers library operations could be auctioned off for commercial use. While spectrum auctions often generate billions of dollars in revenue for the federal budget, they may do so at the expense of both the public interest and the broader economy. In the United States, unlicensed spectrum contributes nearly $1 trillion to the GDP annually, and today’s technological innovation, from cloud computing to smart devices, assumes the presence of fast, reliable, and ubiquitous Wi-Fi. Restricting rather than expanding this vital resource risks both stifling innovation and reducing service quality.
Spectrum Policies That Benefit Libraries
Policies that maintain and expand unlicensed spectrum help libraries provide reliable Wi-Fi and essential services. For this reason, the American Library Association – directly and in coalition with Wi-Fi Allies in the WiFiForward coalition and others – advocates for spectrum policies designed to protect and expand unlicensed spectrum access. In recent years this has included calling for expanded use of the 6GHz band for unlicensed spectrum, supporting spectrum-sharing solutions, and ensuring that libraries have reliable fiber backhaul connections to enable robust wireless connectivity. In short, continued access to adequate unlicensed spectrum is crucial for modern library operations and the benefits these services bring to communities. Learn more about ALA’s spectrum policy and advocacy work on our Broadband Policy webpage.
