The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday voted to open gvernment-controlled airwaves for commercial use by tech and telecom companies The FCC adopted rules for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, creating a new spectrum band and taking a step forward in spectrum policy by authorizing advanced spectrum sharing among commercial and federal operators.

As spectrum is a finite resource, today’s action by the Commission will combine spectrum sharing tools and policies to make available 150 megahertz of spectrum for mobile broadband and other commercial uses.

Specifically, the Report and Order adopts new spectrum sharing techniques to create a new three-tiered commercial radio service spanning 3550 MHz to 3700 MHz. Today’s action adds 100 megahertz of spectrum newly available for wireless broadband to the 50 megahertz of spectrum already available for commercial use in that band, a significant step towards meeting the nation’s 500 megahertz goal.

The use of advanced spectrum-sharing technology will allow wireless broadband systems to share spectrum with military radars and other incumbent systems, while protecting important federal missions.

The plan to open up the frequencies can, for instance, help boost the capacity of companies' existing wireless networks, especially in densely populated locations or indoors. It could even help wirelessly connect specific devices like thermostats or washing machines to facilitate the "Internet of things."

The opening up of 3.5 GHz airwaves "is setting a new paradigm for how spectrum sharing should work," chairman Tom Wheeler said in remarks in Washington.

The plan would allow wireless providers and others to use the airwaves without charge similarly to Wi-Fi, or to buy licenses for short-term exclusive use in some areas if the airwaves get crowded.

The FCC has been developing the system, known as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service nd has drawn interest from various wireless Internet service and device companies, including Verizon, Google, Qualcomm Inc and Ericsson.

The FCC is gearing up to hold an auction early next year of another set of airwaves belonging to broadcasters and repackaging them to sell them to the wireless industry.