Gomez: ‘Without Auction Authority, We Are Losing Talent and Leadership’

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2024 – The absence of spectrum auctions has taken a toll on the nation’s top telecom regulator, leading to a loss of talent, diminishing expertise, and weakening the U.S.'s global standing, according to a top U.S. regulator.

In remarks to the Americas Spectrum Management Conference on Tuesday, Commissioner Anna Gomez of the Federal Communications Commission, issued an urgent call for Congress to restore the agency’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions. 

Gomez stressed the negative impact of the ongoing lapse in auction authority, which expired in March 2023. She emphasized it has hindered talent retention, led to an atrophy in agency expertise, and a loss of global credibility as countries move forward with their own spectrum auctions.

“Without auction authority, we are losing talent,” Gomez said. “Bright, talented attorneys, economists, engineers, and staff that have built years of expertise in spectrum auctions are having to pivot to other work. The robust, expert team that we developed and grew in preparation for more auctions is slimming down.”

The FCC’s inability to conduct new auctions for the first time in 30 years has also delayed efforts to repurpose spectrum for next-generation technologies, she said. Without this authority, the FCC was unable to begin preparatory work for new auctions, hindering efforts to repurpose spectrum for emerging technologies like 5G, 6G, and satellite communications. 

“In this authority vacuum, we are leaving space for others to step in,” she said, hinting at the risk of other nations overtaking U.S. wireless leadership.

Gomez pointed to the recent FCC proposed rulemaking on modernizing the 3.5 GigaHertz (GHz) band for CBRS, illustrating the agency’s ongoing efforts to enhance spectrum sharing. 

“From that first Narrowband PCS auction [in 1994] to the most recent CBRS, C-Band, and 2.5 GHz auctions, the auctions team has been nothing if not creative in designing spectrum auctions to meet the needs of the moment,” she said.

She pointed to the successes of the World Radio Conference last year, where the U.S. secured key spectrum wins, including maintaining the 6 GHz band for unlicensed innovation and allocating satellite spectrum in the 17 GHz band.