- WISPA is glad to see more spectrum being teed up for auction
- But the House reconciliation bill doesn’t protect the CBRS band, leaving it vulnerable
- WISPA urged the Senate to make sure the CBRS, 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz bands are all protected
Some good, some bad. That’s the short version of what the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) had to say about that so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that passed the House on Thursday.
First, the good news. The House-passed reconciliation bill includes provisions that would restore the FCC’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions and direct the FCC to auction off 600 megahertz of spectrum within a certain timeframe. President Trump earlier in the week endorsed the provision and promised to “free up plenty of spectrum.”
The U.S. wireless industry always needs spectrum, and this will re-establish a spectrum pipeline.
Not included in that 600 megahertz of spectrum to be auctioned are the 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz bands, which is also good because WISPA’s members use those bands to provide broadband coverage to rural and hard-to-reach areas of the U.S. Under the House bill, the lower 3 GHz band is also off the auction table.
WISPA members use CBRS
Now for the bad news. The bill doesn’t exclude the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) 3.5 GHz band from an auction, leaving it vulnerable to a sale or major disruption, according to WISPA.
Last year, AT&T proposed moving CBRS to the 3.1-3.3 GHz portion of the band, freeing up spectrum in the 3.5 GHz range for wireless carriers to bid on. A Department of Defense (DoD) proposal floating around Washington, D.C., this spring seemed to support that idea.
Proponents of moving CBRS say the three-pronged shared spectrum paradigm failed to live up to expectations and isn’t the “innovation band” that was originally envisioned. Opponents say the opposite, pointing to more than 400,000 end users that are accessing the band today.
“CBRS is a proven spectrum sharing model that has fostered innovation which has helped bridge the digital divide,” WISPA President and CEO David Zumwalt said in a statement Thursday, noting that more than 60% of WISPA members use CBRS to deliver broadband to hard-to-serve areas.
“The band supports safe dynamic sharing with incumbent federal users, enabling spectrum efficiency without displacement. The diversity of the use cases is vast. It is in industrial IoT applications. Agri-tech. Private enterprise networks. Hospitals. Airports. Schools. Churches. The NFL. Urban Multi-Dwelling Units. Law enforcement agencies, public safety institutions and first responders,” Zumwalt said.
In a note for investors this week, New Street Research analyst Blair Levin said it looks increasingly like regulators are eyeing a relocation of CBRS. “The combination of the House bill and the Presidential endorsement suggests to us, the proposal which mirrors an AT&T proposal from last year, has significant momentum. That is a positive for the exclusive wireless providers and a negative for cable companies who would have to move their CBRS operations,” Levin wrote.
The reconciliation bill now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers already have signaled their desire to change the language related to spectrum auctions.
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, condemned the House Republicans’ spectrum auction plan, saying it could jeopardize U.S. national defense.
Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, also voiced concerns about the consequences of the House auction plan.