Cruz Touts Support From Wireless Industry, Others for Spectrum Bill
The Senate Commerce Committee's top Democrat has been warning of potential interference with altimeters.
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2025 – Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, touted support for his spectrum pipeline Monday amid vocal opposition from committee Democrats.
Cruz’s office marshalled statements of support from the three major mobile carriers and trade groups for them and tower technicians, plus Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, several largely free market think tanks, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
“Leaders across the telecommunications industry and respected tech and economic policy voices endorsed the Senate Commerce Committee’s spectrum provision,” Cruz’s office said in a release. “Reinstating spectrum auction authority will boost the American economy, answer consumer demands, and strengthen American leadership in wireless technologies, while preserving key national security interests.”
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The committee’s piece of Republican’s sprawling budget bill would restore the FCC’s ability to auction spectrum through September 2034. It would require the agency to sell off 800 megahertz of spectrum in that time, including 100 megahertz in the upper C-band and 500 megahertz of current government spectrum. That authority would not extend to two military bands: the lower 3 GHz band, eyed by industry but fiercely guarded by the Defense Department and allied lawmakers, and much of the 7/8 GHz band.
The Senate pipeline is larger than the House version, which called for 600 megahertz to be auctioned. It’s a win for the wireless industry, which has been pushing hard to get a pipeline of some kind in the reconciliation bill. CTIA CEO Ajit Pai, who led the FCC under the first Trump administration and served on President Donald Trump’s transition team, said earlier this month he wanted “Congress to move swiftly to pass this legislation and ensure all Americans benefit from world-leading wireless connectivity.”
The protections for military bands haven’t been enough for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the committee, and her colleagues. Some Republicans on the armed services committee have said the same.
Cantwell made her case at a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar last week, where she said that in addition to not protecting enough DoD airwaves, the bill could end up disrupting airplane altimeters. Civilian and military altimeters operate just above the upper C-band, and she warned of interference if the band were quickly opened up to the carriers or Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The FCC is already taking input on how to put the band to more intensive use – it's currently occupied by television broadcasters. Airlines have raised similar concerns, urging the agency to conduct studies and involve the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure altimeters, even forthcoming ones with better interference protection, are able to operate adjacent to any new users.
Industry has time to avoid serious danger, Cruz argued
Cruz has argued the industry has enough time to avoid serious danger from altimeter interference.
He also said last week he’s not budging on the bill’s spectrum language, and has shot down Democratic requests for a markup before bringing it to the Senate floor. He said he thinks the Senate will pass its portion of the sweeping bill by July 4.
The cable industry and wireless ISPs have said they wanted protections for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, a shared band that AT&T and DoD have proposed clearing and auctioning for higher power, exclusive use. WISPs use the band to provide broadband and major cable companies use it in a few metro areas for their 5G services.
Trump’s company also launched a mobile phone service Monday, which it said would “offer 5G service through all three major cellular carriers.” The company’s terms of use say it’s powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless, which itself runs on T-Mobile’s network. The company did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
New Street Research analysts didn’t expect the service to make a big impact on the mobile market, aside from potentially getting slightly better terms than other MVNOs by virtue of its connection to the president.
