Spectrum

We are continuing the Federal Communications Commission's push for more builds, more spectrum, and more out of our public safety and consumer protection rules. First up—permitting reform. For too long, outdated and unnecessary environmental rules have slowed America’s builders down. This has left communities stuck and waiting on the wrong side of the digital divide. That is why we will be voting this month on an order that overhauls the FCC’s approach to NEPA. Second, we are making way for more spectrum that can be used for faster broadband from space.

The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research program, created and funded by the by the U.S. National Science Foundation and industry consortium partners, announced that the Federal Communications Commission has created a new spectrum Innovation Zone to promote rural connectivity and precision agriculture research at the site of the ARA wireless testbed in Central Iowa.

A recurrent theme from US cellular industry commentary in recent years has been complaints about supposedly unused or underused spectrum that could be put to "better" use. Yet there is surprisingly little focus on the major carriers' own fallow and underused spectrum assets, which deserve similar scrutiny. We have heard repeated claims that Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum is not used sufficiently or that dynamic sharing mechanisms are allegedly inefficient. The benefits of technology innovation and new deployment models are downplayed.

Michigan Broadband Services will acquire “substantially all assets” of the Educational Access Network from Northern Michigan University’s if the agreement between the organizations closes. MBS would receive licensed 2.5 GHz Educational Broadband Service spectrum covering portions of 41 counties, Nokia AirScale radio equipment deployed across more than 70 tower sites, licensed microwave facilities, and related network infrastructure. EAN has approximately 7,500 subscribers and generates about $2.5 million annually. MBU is a subsidiary of publicly traded MachTen.

The Federal Communications Commission authorized a new Innovation Zone at Iowa State University to provide a platform to develop and refine wireless technologies intended to connect rural communities and to study new use cases for precision agriculture for both crop and livestock farms. Innovation Zones are locations designated for use by specific experimental licensees to foster robust wireless research and development through the testing of new advanced technologies, applications, and prototype networks outside of a traditional small campus or laboratory setting.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is making moves to acquire more AWS-3 midband spectrum for Starlink's mobile satellite direct-to-device service and is getting closer to nationwide coverage in the US. In a recent Federal Communications Commission filing, SpaceX subsidiary Starlink Spectrum Holdings requested permission to transfer control of three unpaired AWS-3 licences in the 1695MHz–1710MHz band that are held by Tristar License Group.

On July 30, 2025, Arielle Roth was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and National Telecommunications and Information Administrator. Over the past year, NTIA has moved with urgency to deliver results for Americans: ensuring universal broadband availability, freeing spectrum for commercial innovation, advancing American technology leadership, strengthening public safety communications, and demanding greater accountability for taxpayers.

On August 4, 2026, the World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee approved and provided for Federal Communications Commission consideration of its draft recommendations on issues that will be considered by the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference Based upon an initial review of the draft recommendations forwarded to the FCC, the Office of International Affairs, in coordination with other Commission Bureaus and Offices, tentatively concludes that we can generally support most of the content found in Attachment A.

For generations, the Caribbean has connected the world. Today, the means of connection have changed. The ships remain, but now they are joined by fiber-optic cables beneath the sea, satellites overhead, wireless networks across islands, and innovators building applications that can serve customers around the globe. The countries that embrace these technologies, encourage investment, and create space for innovation will not only build better communications networks. They will build stronger economies. More resilient societies. And greater opportunities for their citizens.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to launch a proceeding to explore new avenues for enabling innovative unlicensed wireless devices to communicate directly with satellites.