Jerome Rota, chief scientist of usability at Greenwave Systems, sees the 600-MHz band as an enabler for the Internet of Things. In The Wall Street Journal, he notes that the FCC is considering bids for this spectrum, freed up from TV broadcasters.

“This low-frequency bandwidth, in layman’s terms, isn’t great for carrying big loads of data, so it won’t be much help in streaming high-definition Netflix on your iPhone,” he writes. “But it is fantastic at traveling long distances and penetrating buildings—past metal doors and through concrete basements, where your cell coverage now wanes.”

Rota, whose company provides IoT software and managed services, suggests carriers can use that spectrum to handle the details of IoT compatibility and security issues. Instead of having to set up networked devices yourself, he writes, “…a wireless carrier could do it for you.”

And of course charge you for it—“The Internet of Things could be listed as a service on wireless or cable bills,” he writes. When you buy a smart object (lightbulb or thermostat, for example), you simply activate it with your mobile carrier.

He acknowledges that “…wireless carriers aren’t the most beloved firms in the eyes of most Americans,” but adds that the carriers could make home automation easier.