President Biden Signs Law Giving FCC Limited Authority Over Spectrum Licenses

Under the 5G SALE Act, the FCC will be able to issue 8,000 licenses purchased before its spectrum auction authority expired in March.

President Biden Signs Law Giving FCC Limited Authority Over Spectrum Licenses
Photo of Joe Biden in 2020 by Stingray Schuller

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2023 – President Joe Biden signed the 5G SALE Act into law on Tuesday, giving the Federal Communications Commission authority to issue spectrum licenses purchased before March 9, 2023.

That’s when the commission’s ability to auction electromagnetic frequency bands for commercial use lapsed after Congress failed to renew the authority for the first time since 1993. The expiration left 8,000 purchased, but not yet officially issued, licenses in the 2.5 gigahertz band in limbo.

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