Obama to Propose Doubling Airwaves Available for Smartphones, Web

President Barack Obama will today propose almost doubling the airwaves available for laptop connections to the Internet and mobile devices such as smartphones, Bloomberg News reported.

Obama will sign a presidential memorandum pledging to free up 500 megahertz of spectrum over 10 years, Bloomberg News said without naming its sources.

The capacity of the U.S. wireless networks has been put under strain by the widespread use of devices such as the iPhone.

Obama's plan would require action from both the White House and the Congress. It would utilize commercial and government airwaves that the administration believes are underused.