Spectrum

Relocation Costs an Important Part of Federal Spectrum Studies: NTIA Official

The agency has to identify 200 megahertz of government spectrum for auction by July 2027

Jake Neenan

Mar 25, 2026 — 3 min read

Photo of Tricia Paoletta, NTIA’s senior advisor for spectrum, from LegiStorm

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2026 – Determining how much it will cost to relocate federal systems is an important part of the Commerce Department’s studies into which government spectrum bands can be opened up to wireless carriers.

Proceeds from those auctions have to fund relocations, and an auction isn’t legally valid unless it raises 110 percent of those costs, a top spectrum official from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said Wednesday.

Tricia Paoletta, NTIA’s senior advisor for spectrum, said the process wasn’t as simple as agencies buying upgraded or slightly different gear. She spoke at a webinar hosted by the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy.

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Spectrum NTIA Tricia Paoletta Arielle Roth Georgetown University's Center for Business and Public Policy OBBBA WRC-27

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