Technology Update

The Federal Communications Commission has opened up free space on the nations airwaves for a new class of digital devices that could beam data across a school campus and bring cheaper Internet service to many classrooms.

But now the waiting begins--to find out when, and if, companies actually develop the equipment.

Approval by the FCC--which allocates slivers of the electromagnetic spectrum to carry traffic from radio and TV stations, pagers, cellular phones, satellite uplinks, and other sources--is legally essential to any new...