"This is a great order, a great start, and a great day for innovation," said Jake Ward, a spokesman for the tech public interest group Wireless Innovation Alliance. "The full potential of white space technology has yet to be imagined, but with today's decision, the FCC has given America's greatest innovators the resources they need to make it a reality for American consumers and our economy."

Greg Brown, the president and co-CEO of Motorola, was similarly enthusiastic about the potential of unlicensed white space use, and said that the FCC's decision could open up "a new era of technology allowing for major investments in innovative wireless broadband, education, and government/enterprise applications to spur economic development."