A group of American manufacturing companies and rural broadband providers on Monday announced the launch of the 5G American-Made Coalition to defend the continued use of the citizens broadband radio service band as a shared band. “For the first time in decades, American companies are designing and building 5G equipment here at home, strengthening our supply chains, and further enabling the reindustrialization of our country,” said John Puskar, the coalition's CEO. Among the members listed on its website are Abside Networks, Cambium Networks, Keysight Technologies, Nextlink, Skylark Wireless and Tarana.
Service providers should file comments at the FCC opposing proposals to increase power levels in the citizens broadband radio service band or to reallocate the band, NCTA board member Sandra Howe urged Thursday in a blog post. The future of CBRS is “at risk,” she wrote. “CBRS democratizes mid-band spectrum” and “enables [wireless ISPs,] cable operators, schools, hospitals, utilities, farms, and local governments to build private and localized LTE/5G networks.” With county-level licenses, a three-tier sharing model “and a mature device ecosystem, CBRS has lowered the barrier to entry for operators who’ve historically lacked access to prime spectrum.”
Private cellular networks are growing worldwide and can offer advantages over both Wi-Fi and more traditional networks offered by carriers, experts said Tuesday during RCR Wireless’ Industrial Wireless Forum. A variety of spectrum bands are being used, including the citizens broadband radio service band in the U.S., speakers said.
The U.S. is entering international spectrum coordination discussions focused on pushing for flexible use policies, supporting spectrum harmonization where it “benefits consumers and global scale,” and “defending the principle that technological progress should not stop at regulatory borders,” FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty said Thursday in remarks at the 14th Americas Spectrum Management Conference. The Americas “must speak with a strong, coordinated voice” in preparation for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, “one that emphasizes openness, reciprocity, and innovation over protectionism or fragmentation.”
Changes to rules for how wireline is deployed, not just wireless, are important to Southern Linc, said Holly Henderson, its external affairs and compliance director, during a panel discussion this week at the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas. Other speakers at the conference, which is sponsored by CTIA and GSMA, highlighted the importance of the upper C band to the wireless industry.
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said Thursday that he opposes language in the Senate's FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act version (S-2296) that would give the DOD and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands. Hudson said during a Punchbowl News event that his next priority as Communications chair will be to enact legislation aimed at easing broadband permitting rules, despite Democrats’ recent criticism of a mostly GOP-led set of proposals during a Sept. 18 hearing (see 2509180069).
A tug-of-war is continuing in the Senate over language from the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S-2296) that Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said last month would give the DOD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman excessive authority to veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands (see 2509100064). The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the spectrum language in Section 1564, but Cruz filed an amendment in September to remove the proposal. He's also negotiating to remove it as part of a manager's amendment (see 2509110073). The House-passed FY26 NDAA (HR-3838) doesn't include similar language.
The citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band has moved beyond the experimental stage and demonstrated its effectiveness, Salt Point Strategies’ Dave Wright said last week during a webinar hosted by consulting firm Senza Fili. CBRS “works,” said Wright, former president of the OnGo Alliance, which promotes the CBRS. “We’ve been doing it for five years. We’ve got 420,000 base station radios operating in the band,” and “we’ve had zero reports of interference” to the military systems that share the spectrum.
FCC authority to change the national TV ownership cap remains unclear, and anything the agency does is likely to end up challenged in court, agency Chief of Staff Scott Delacourt said Wednesday at a Media Institute event. He also waved off the idea that the end of Chevron deference significantly changes how the FCC will defend its actions in court. The commissioners will vote on kicking off the 2022 quadrennial review of broadcast-ownership rules at its meeting next week (see 2509090060).
NCTA and WISPA said the FCC should think twice before quickly agreeing to give Viaero a waiver of a rule that limits a single party to owning four citizens broadband radio service priority access licenses (PAL) in any market. Comments were due Wednesday to the Wireless Bureau on Viaero's proposal to buy 10 priority access licenses from Citizens Band License Co., which would result in it exceeding the limit in seven counties in Colorado (see 2509050021).