Thanks to the explosion of mobile connectivity, 2011 was the year mobile took over the world. With 103 million wireless tweets per day, 26 photos shared per second on Instagram, and 1 billion Foursquare check-ins in 2011, the United States experienced connectivity unparalleled in the history of humankind. In the U.S., smartphones are now outselling PCs and there are now more wireless subscriptions than people. By 2015, there will be 6 mobile devices per person (including children) in the U.S., representing a forecasted 1,800 percent increase in data consumption.

On the surface, even at this volume, tweets, check-ins, uploaded photos, and Facebook updates seem to be a novelty. But, that ignores the impact these technologies have on culture, commerce, safety, and much more. The revolutionaries taking part in the Arab Spring, the activists of the Occupy Movement, and first responders to catastrophic floods in Thailand all relied on wireless technology to make a difference in 2011. Wireless technology delivers our news, connects us to one another, and coordinates the activities of industries from commercial shipping to public safety to healthcare.

The backbone of nearly everything mobile in 2011 – retweets to revolutions – was wireless spectrum.

Unfortunately, at the same time we see the benefits of wireless broadband fully realized we are facing a spectrum crisis. By 2013, our demand for wireless data will outstrip allocated spectrum in the U.S. Our wireless future is in jeopardy. The very real roll this technology plays in American life, safety, and security will by marked with dropped calls and networks too congested to deliver vital data reliably.

It is no longer reasonable to argue that there are technologies more important to the United States than high-speed wireless data. To meet the growing demand, we need to bring new networks online, hold old technologies to a higher standard, and work together to provide the infrastructure America needs to be more productive and innovative in the 21st century.