Unlicensed

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.

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum band is increasingly delivering many of the most important innovations, competitive pressures, and consumer benefits in the wireless marketplace. By enabling new entrants to deploy localized wireless infrastructure and offload traffic onto privately managed spectrum, CBRS is creating new forms of competition that were previously impossible without billions of dollars in auction spending. To support the wireless data needs of U.S.

Reps Bob Latta (R-OH-5) and Troy A. Carter, Sr. (R-LA-2) introduced the Advancing American Wi-Fi Against Foreign Adversaries Act, a bipartisan bill that strengthens coordination between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and State Department while promoting a consistent international approach to unlicensed spectrum use without binding the United States to specific technical standards or outcomes. As the United States prepares for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, it is crucial that the U.S.

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service community has a message for anyone pushing for higher CBRS power levels: back off. CBRS proponents held a webinar hosted by New America where they highlighted two studies—one showing how the private wireless CBRS network market is growing and another describing the enormous disruption that would result if higher power levels were introduced. For the past several years, wireless carriers have been pushing for higher power base stations in the 3.55-3.7 GHz CBRS ban

At the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, we are moving with urgency to modernize federal operations, improve efficiency, and get more spectrum into the marketplace. Our goal is to meet and hopefully exceed Congress’ timeline to find the spectrum that will power the next generation of wireless innovation. I look forward to delving into status of the bands we are studying and how we plan to meet our targets. I also want to highlight a new tool from NTIA that will track our progress in real time.

In a prior spectrum speech, I compared spectrum reallocation to my packed minivan—everyone fighting over seats, a struggle to balance competing needs, and someone in the back dramatically announcing they never wanted to go on this trip to begin with. And as a mom of six, I can tell you—my eight-seater minivan is truly at capacity. No amount of rearranging is going to create a ninth spot. Spectrum is different. We’re not stuck with a fixed number of seats. We can reconfigure, modernize, and make more room.

A new report from ABI Research highlights a sharp increase in demand for Wi-Fi technologies in business environments and the need to protect and expand the unlicensed spectrum on which Wi-Fi relies. Published recently following the 6th anniversary of the U.S.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a major milestone in repurposing the 2.7 GHz band for full-power commercial licensed use—clearing a key technical review and advancing America’s 6G leadership. In 2025, Congress gave NTIA a first-of-its-kind mandate: identify 500 MHz of federal spectrum for commercial use in five years.

The Federal Communications Commission's coming auction of the upper C-band for 5G and 6G and possible direct-to-device use cases will require incumbents to vacate that spectrum and pursue alternatives such as terrestrial fiber and Ku-band satellites.