(How Li-Fi, Photonic Design, and Post-SAR Safety Standards Could Deliver a Safer, Faster, Truly America-First Network)
1. Flip the Federal Footprint
Executive Order #1—“Lights On, Microwaves Off.”
Direct the General Services Administration to procure only IEEE 802.11bb-ready luminaires and access points for every new or renovated federal building after January 2026. The standard—ratified in July 2023—defines a 10 Mbit/s-to-9.6 Gbit/s infrared PHY that slots directly into the Wi-Fi ecosystem, so agencies can swap ceiling routers for light fixtures without rewriting apps or retraining users. en.wikipedia.org
Why it matters: Washington runs the single largest Wi-Fi estate on U.S. soil; flipping that estate to Li-Fi instantly creates a domestic volume market, forcing chipset vendors to tool U.S. fabs for photonic transceivers instead of outsourcing RF modules overseas.
2. Mandate “Li-Fi-Inside” for Every Federal Device
Add a Made-in-USA Photonics clause to the Federal Acquisition Regulation: by 2027, all laptops, tablets, and phones purchased with federal dollars must ship with a light-band transceiver and an indoor auto-switch mode that throttles microwave radios to a safe level when Li-Fi is available. (Think of it as “Airplane Mode for Earthlings.”)
3. Schools First—Because Kids Absorb More Than Knowledge
Issue Department-of-Education guidance tying E-rate funding to the removal of ceiling-mounted microwave APs within 500 ft of elementary classrooms by 2029—replacing them with Power-over-Ethernet Li-Fi panels. Pair that with DOE grants for fiber-to-fixture retrofits so Title I districts are not left in the dark. The health rationale is obvious, but the academic upside is as real as any bandwidth chart: Li-Fi has tested at single-digit microsecond latency—ideal for AR/VR labs and low-lag STEM simulations. researchnester.com
4. Office Parks and Main Street: Carrots Before Sticks
Tax Code Add-On: a 50 % bonus depreciation for commercial Li-Fi retrofits completed before 2030.
UL “PhotonSafe” Label: let OSHA and NIST co-publish a voluntary seal for workplaces that cap indoor microwave exposure below 0.1 W/kg whole-body SAR and provide ≥1 Gbit/s Li-Fi coverage. Buildings that qualify get fast-track permitting and an extra point in federal contracting bids.
5. National Security & Cyber Resilience
Light does not leak through walls; radio does. The U.K.’s Defence Munitions pilot is already proving Li-Fi’s value for air-gapped, intrusion-proof comms. A Trump directive could require every SCIF, embassy, and VA hospital to run critical tele-surgery or drone-control links over encrypted photonic cells rather than penetrable RF channels. des.mod.uk
6. Space-to-Surface Synergy
While Starlink pursues direct-to-cell microwave service outdoors, mandate an optical down-convert inside: satellites feed rooftop IR repeaters that beam data via Li-Fi to interior rooms, eliminating the need for in-building 3.5 GHz small cells (and the chronic RF they create).
7. Research, Standards, and Bio-Metrics
HHS–DOE Joint Photobiology Lab: task it with publishing Reactive-Oxygen-Species (ROS) exposure indices for wireless tech, so device makers compete on oxidative-stress scores the way cars compete on MPG.
Next-Gen SAR: instruct the FCC to finish the court-ordered docket by adopting a tiered metric—thermal SAR + oxidative ROS-SAR—then certify the Trump T1 and all federal phones against it.
8. Workforce & Supply Chain
Fund community-college programs in Photonic Networking Technology; require DoD and VA construction contracts to source Li-Fi LED drivers and photodiodes from U.S. fabs by 2028; seed a National Photonics Foundry in an Opportunity Zone.
9. Health-Forward Lighting Ecosystem
Leverage the same ceiling fixtures for:
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Circadian-tuned daytime spectra (boosting alertness without blue-light overdose).
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Far-UV (222 nm) nighttime disinfection—a germicidal wavelength already championed in patented RF Safe spin-offs.
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Emergency mesh mode: Li-Fi nodes auto-switch to battery-backed amber LEDs during power loss, keeping critical comms alive without RF generators.
10. Sunset Clause for Indoor Microwaves
Set a 2035 internal sunset: after that date, any new public or commercial building over 10,000 sq ft must default to photonic or wired networks indoors, with microwave radios restricted to shielded foyers or outdoor patios.
The Political Optics
Brand Alignment: a “Light-Age” initiative lets Trump tout both next-gen speed and next-gen safety—while Kennedy delivers the science that undergirds it.
Regulatory Jujitsu: instead of waiting for the FCC, the White House wields procurement, tax, and education levers that Congress already delegated.
Constitutional Repair: once Li-Fi provides a drop-in alternative, repealing Section 704 becomes a liberation, not a risk—localities regain zoning voice without fear of killing broadband.
Conclusion
America electrified the 19th-century night with light; it can now illuminate the 21st-century network with it. A Trump-Kennedy alliance that retires indoor microwaves, funds photonic infrastructure, and certifies phones against biology-aware standards would not only put “America First” in branding—but put American children first in practice. Anything less keeps us browsing the future through a flicker of outdated RF haze.
