White spaces continue a "revolution" in unlicensed wireless access that started when the FCC unlicensed the 2.4GHz spectrum in 1995, leading to the development of Wi-Fi networking and wireless devices like cordless phones.

The 2.4GHz spectrum was originally regarded as "junk" for communications purposes because microwave ovens used the same frequency, Srivastava said. It could create interference, and was less effective at penetrating physical objects like walls and furniture.

White spaces could solve a lot of the problems of the 2.4GHz spectrum and allow for higher-bandwidth applications such as streaming audio and video, he said.