- The wireless industry got its own July 4 fireworks with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill
- The law directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce to create a spectrum pipeline of at least 800 megahertz
- The 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz are excluded, protecting these DoD spectrum bands from being reallocated
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regained its ability to hold spectrum auctions when President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4. The FCC’s auction authority had lapsed since March 2023.
Reinstating the FCC auction authority wasn’t the only good news for wireless. The law calls for the government to identify at least 800 megahertz of spectrum to be auctioned between the 1.3 GHz to 10.5 GHz range, with exceptions for the 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands that are occupied by military services.
Of course, the organization representing the Big 3 wireless carriers was elated over the passage of the legislation, even though it apparently removes the possibility for the industry to get hold of the lower 3 GHz band that it so desired for many years.
CTIA President and CEO Ajit Pai thanked Trump for his “extraordinary leadership and vision, particularly on wireless issues, during this process.”
“This legislation represents an historic milestone in wireless innovation. It will encourage next-generation wireless technologies, accelerate wireless deployment for the benefit of all American consumers, and secure our global technology leadership,” Pai said in a statement.
Carriers aren’t wasting any time. AT&T, which earlier last week suffered the wrath of Trump when he complained that its tech failed during a conference call with thousands of faith leaders across the country, released a statement saying it plans to more quickly build fiber infrastructure thanks to the “pro-investment policies” in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
In fact, AT&T said it’s increasing its investment by an additional 1 million fiber customer locations annually starting in 2026.
AT&T plans to provide an update on the expected impact of the legislation on its 2025 and long-term financial outlook and capital allocation plans when it releases its second quarter results on July 23.
FCC gets crackin'
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the spectrum portions of the legislation will give a boost to his Build America Agenda, which he unveiled during an event at a tower climbing training center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last week.
Carr said Sioux Falls was a good place to unveil his agenda for several reasons, including that South Dakota is home to the kinds of rural communities that are precisely the types of places that need a fair shot at high-speed connections. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken’s light-touch regulatory framework led to Sioux Falls being one of the first communities in America to get 5G, he noted.
Carr’s Build America Agenda includes modernizing regulations to make it easier to build networks, freeing up more spectrum, cutting FCC red tape and boosting the country’s space economy.
On the spectrum front, the FCC is already considering at its July 24 open meeting an order addressing the auction of AWS-3 licenses. Those licenses were held by Dish Network designated entities Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless and ultimately returned to the FCC.
Congress passed legislation late last year giving the FCC one-time auction authority to reauction the licenses within 18 months, with proceeds of the auction to be used to complete the “rip and replace” program to get Huawei and ZTE out of U.S. networks.
WISPA concerned about CBRS, 6 GHz
Not everybody in the wireless industry is so cheery about the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, however. WISPA, which represents many small wireless ISPs serving rural areas across the U.S., said the budget package has some good aspects, such as its extension of favorable tax provisions for individuals and business.
But those tax provisions are likely to be offset by the lack of protection for certain spectrum bands, namely the CBRS and 6 GHz that are susceptible to the auction block.
“The vast majority of WISPA members employ CBRS and/or 6 GHz services to deliver broadband to their rural and under-resourced communities,” WISPA said.
The organization now plans to turn its attention to the FCC, where it will urge the agency to find other solutions to meet its spectrum and revenue responsibilities.