5G spectrum debate heats up ahead of Biden's implementation plan

Spectrum is a hot topic in Washington these days, as lawmakers, lobbyists, regulators and others look for advantage ahead of the release of an implementation plan for the Biden administration's national spectrum strategy. The latest: A new bill from two top Republican Senators would require the government to reallocate at least 600MHz of midband spectrum for commercial use within three years. Sens Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Thune (R-SD), introduced the new "Spectrum Pipeline" bill, which would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to identify at least 2,500MHz of spectrum between 1.3GHz and 13.2GHz to be reallocated from federal government use to non-governmental or shared use over the next five years. Hovering over the new legislation is an ongoing debate over spectrum in the lower 3GHz band. The Department of Defense (DoD) currently uses the lower 3GHz spectrum band to operate its radars, satellites, navigation equipment and more. But the 5G industry has been trying for years to convince the White House to reallocate some or all of that band for cellular operations.