Auctions

On March 25, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to request that the Department of Defense turn over any Biden-era documents referring to the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction authority. In the letter, Sen Cruz details allegations that Biden-era DOD officials pressured defense contractors to lobby against reauthorizing auction authority.

It’s been a long time coming, but T-Mobile has found a buyer for the 800 MHz spectrum it inherited from Sprint.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wrote to members of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee about reinstating the FCC's spectrum auction authority, which lapsed in 2023. He wrote, "Passing legislation that establishes a new pipeline of mid-band spectrum is vital to our economy and national security. If Congress accomplishes this goal, the FCC will implement Congress’s decision. Specifically, the FCC will make any and all of the spectrum allocation and license changes necessary to comply with the law passed by Congress."

The Federal Communications Commission announces an auction of 200 licenses in the 1695– 1710 MHz, 1755–1780 MHz, and 2155–2180 MHz spectrum bands (collectively, the “AWS-3” bands), and seeks comment on the procedures to be used for the auction. This auction is designated as Auction 113.

Brendan Carr, newly minted chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has been plenty busy making his mark in the telecommunications regulatory landscape. Here's a look at the most notable events that have transpired during Carr's first 30 days—and what we can expect in the months to come:

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved proposed rules to bring unused 5G-grade spectrum to market by taking the first step to reauction advanced wireless service (AWS)-3 spectrum licenses in the agency’s inventory. To lay the groundwork for this reauction, the FCC’s proposed rules would update the AWS-3 service rules to reflect legislative and regulatory developments since the spectrum was originally auctioned in 2014.

Amid a raging debate over the value of the 3.5GHz CBRS band, Lumen Technologies has apparently decided it's no longer interested in holding those spectrum licenses.

It’s becoming clear that there is going to a never-ending battle over mid-band spectrum. In late 2024, AT&T asked the Federal Communications Commission to allow for full-power use of CBRS spectrum.

Rep Rick Allen (R-GA) introduced the Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2025. This legislation extends the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) spectrum auction authority and seeks to ensure the efficient allocation of mid-band spectrum, a resource critical for the advancement of 5G and next-generation technologies. Specifically, the bill:

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called for the agency to quickly adopt rules that will allow the FCC to proceed with a spectrum auction to fully fund the removal, replacement, and disposal of insecure Chinese-made Huawei and ZTE equipment and services from U.S. networks without further delay.  The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act provides essential funding for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement (or “Rip and Replace”) Program by giving the FCC authority to auction AWS-3 spectrum licenses in its inventory.