CTIA flags new threat to spectrum pipeline

For the most part, CTIA is happy about the spectrum provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Trump signed on July 4. The OBBBA calls for freeing up 800 megahertz of spectrum for commercial use over the next decade. To kick things off, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a proposal that seeks comments on how to auction at least 100 megahertz—and possibly up to 180 megahertz—of spectrum in the 3.98-4.2 GHz band, aka the upper C-band. That’s all well and good, but CTIA is raising red flags over a different law winding its way through Washington, D.C.: the annual National Defense Authorization Act. According to CTIA, language in the Senate version of the NDAA threatens to undercut the OBBBA. Its concern can be summed up in two words: veto power. That is, the language contemplated in the Senate’s NDAA gives veto power to military leaders regarding the 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands—a big departure from the way spectrum policy typically works in Washington, D.C.