Technical Topics > Part 15 AM and FM Station Operation

Part 15 Industry Worth $95 Billion Annually in Sales

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tybee:
As we all know, the Part 15 realm encompasses far more than just intentional AM and FM broadcasting; The most predominant use of part 15 today is undoubtedly Wi-fi broadcasting.. and/or perhaps our cellphones.

I recently, (while trying to track down some 1938 FCC dockets) had a conversation with Michael Marcus, the FCC engineer who was largely responsible for creating the WIFI band. During our conversation he had mentioned that Part 15 was worth more than $90 Billion a year today...

 That stuck in my head, and though that tidbit of info has little to do with my specific research of Part 15 LPAM history, I was curious if that number was accurate (90 Billion is unfathomable number to me - like the number of sand crystals on a beach!) - While I did not really doubt his knowledge, further conformation is found at the NTCA website (which somehow is an acronym of The Internet & Television Association):

"A new report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) estimates that Wi-Fi and other unlicensed wireless technologies generate $95.8 billion per year for the American economy in technology sales alone...

..So what is unlicensed spectrum? The term refers to the radio frequencies set up to drive innovation—they are open to any use and by anyone, as long as devices follow certain technical rules. Decades ago, the US was the first country in the world to create unlicensed spectrum and it was one of the best decisions the FCC ever made..."
https://www.ncta.com/whats-new/what-is-unlicensed-spectrum-and-how-does-it-contribute-958b-annually-the-economy

Particularly liked their definition of the part 15 spectrum too (shown above.

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