Spectrum

CBRS Could Be Key to Scaling Fixed Wireless Broadband

Panelists said the mid-band spectrum enables lower-cost broadband in areas where fiber is difficult to deploy.

Akul Saxena

Jan 29, 2026 — 3 min read

Photo of (from left) Sergiu Nedevschi, chief strategy officer and co-founder of Tarana Wireless, Richard Bernhardt, vice president of spectrum and industry at WISPA, and Gabriel Moran, senior manager of government affairs and policy at the Tarana Wireless Summit in Milpitas, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

MILPITAS, Calif., Jan. 29, 2026 — Broadband providers and spectrum advocates warned that changes to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) could disrupt fixed wireless broadband deployments serving hundreds of thousands of households.

They called the shared-spectrum framework a critical component of U.S. broadband expansion.

CBRS, which allows multiple commercial and government users to share the same mid-band spectrum under federal coordination, is a band of 150 megahertz, from 3550 MegaHertz (MHz) to 3700 MHz, overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. Unlike spectrum sold through exclusive auctions, CBRS uses a tiered licensing system.