FCC Spectrum Auction Authority Slated for Renewal — But at What Cost to CBRS?

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2025 budget reconciliation bill (officially titled the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) by a vote of 215 to 214. The bill is now under consideration in the Senate, where that chamber is likely to make its own proposals and amendments.

While the bill introduces provisions for a broad array of issues—from healthcare and artificial intelligence to taxes—the communications title of the package (Subtitle C, Part 1, SEC. 43101) zeroes in on a matter that is generating significant attention within the telecommunications sector: spectrum.

Specifically, the bill includes a 10-year reauthorization of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, a significant step following the unprecedented lapse of the Commission’s authority in early 2023. It also requires the FCC to auction at least 600 megahertz for exclusive, licensed use for mobile broadband services, fixed broadband services, mobile and fixed broadband services, or a combination of such services. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scored this 600 MHz of spectrum capable of raising $88 billion in federal revenue.

Which Spectrum Bands are Subject to Potential FCC Auction?

As currently written, the bill establishes a general requirement to auction 600 MHz of spectrum within the “covered band” - defined as frequencies between 1.3 GHz and 10 GHz.  However, it explicitly excludes certain bands from this auction requirement: the lower 3 GHz band (3.1-3.45 GHz) and the 6 GHz band (5.925-7.125 GHz).

While this general auction requirement doesn’t target specific frequency bands, certain companies and organizations fear that frequencies in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band (3.5 GHz) are vulnerable to disruption in order for the government to clear the band for auction (see WISPA’s article here). For example, many speculate about whether suggestions to relocate CBRS to a different portion of the band will now gain traction.

Why is the CBRS Band Important to Anchor Institutions? 

The CBRS band is unique in that it allows for shared spectrum uses under a three-tiered access framework:

1. Tier 1 – Incumbent Access - Includes authorized federal users and fixed Satellite Service earth stations

2. Tier 2 – Priority Access - Priority Access Licenses (PALs) licensed on a county-by-county basis

3. Tier 3 – General Authorized Access (GAA) - licensed-by-rule to permit open, flexible access to the band

Given that the CBRS band provides open access to spectrum, we have seen a variety of innovative use cases develop since its inception. For example, many anchor institutions and providers use unlicensed Wi-Fi and shared spectrum bands (like CBRS) to manage and operate broadband networks that help connect students and library patrons off campus - often for free or at a low cost. 

SHLB has previously advocated for preservation of the CBRS band, and commissioned a publication in 2022 that details many of the innovative case studies showcasing how school and community broadband networks hinge on access to Wi-Fi and CBRS. One such example includes the Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) “ConnectME” program: 

BVSD (a school district in Boulder Valley, Colorado) provided rooftop space to a local wireless ISP (WISP), LiveWire Networks, Inc., to construct towers with fixed wireless access points that transmit wireless internet using the CBRS spectrum band. LiveWire then provides no-cost Internet service to students in that area based on their eligibility to receive free and reduced lunch. LiveWire operates and manages the network and performs installation directly at the home of those that subscribe. The network is a point-to-point fixed wireless system, whereby the access points on each tower connect to subscriber modules – small receivers that are placed on the student’s dwelling.

Relocating the CBRS band could create serious challenges for its current licensees and operators. For example, there are concerns about congestion in the new band and whether there will be “functional equivalency” for CBRS equipment (see New Street Research article here). 

In the end, major disruptions to the current operations of the CBRS band could stymie its use and ultimately cut off access to affordable broadband service for end users, including students who rely on it because they lack other connectivity options at home.