US seek to restrict use of internet access

The Defense Department is seeking new limits on an increasingly popular form of wireless internet access, arguing that the technology could interfere with military radar, the New York Times reported.

The newspaper said representatives from Microsoft Corp, Intel Corp and other tech companies met last week with Department officials to try to stave off the planned restrictions, which industry executives say would threaten expansion of technology like the WiFi systems being used for wireless internet in airports, coffee shops, homes and offices.

WiFi use is increasingly heavy in major US metropolitan areas, and similar systems are becoming popular in Europe and Asia, raising the prospect that high-speed wireless internet access will soon crowd the radio frequencies used by the military.

Tech companies hope the popularity of WiFi will help pull their industry out of its two-year slump, and argue that new types of frequency spectrum sharing techniques could keep civilian users from interfering with radar systems, the Times said.