Wi-Fi Forces Glum, 5G Carriers Elated as Big Budget Bill Lands in the House
The Senate version scrapped a House protection for the unlicensed 6 GHz band.
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 – It wasn’t hard separating the winners from the losers following Senate passage Tuesday of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Wireless carriers were pleased to see the Senate’s budget legislation narrowly clear the chamber while proponents of shared and unlicensed spectrum said they worried some of those bands could be sold off if the bill becomes law.
The bill faces another tough battle in the House, where Republicans have a slim majority and some in the party have already expressed opposition to the Senate version. GOP leadership there has outwardly been confident, with plans to bring it for a vote tomorrow.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
“This bill is President Trump’s agenda, and we are making it law. House Republicans are ready to finish the job and put the One Big Beautiful Bill on President Trump’s desk in time for Independence Day,” House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leadership said in a joint statement.
On the spectrum front, the Senate bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to sell off 800 megahertz of spectrum, a win for the airwave-hungry wireless carriers. It would protect key military spectrum, the lower 3 GHz band and most of the 7/8 GHz band, from being sold by the agency. The Congressional Budget Office estimated it would bring in $85 billion to help pay for tax cuts.
The House version of the bill passed in May had a smaller spectrum quota, 600 megahertz, and protected the 6 GHz band, unlicensed spectrum used for Wi-Fi, from counting toward the quota. On military spectrum, it would only have prevented the lower 3 GHz from counting toward the total.
Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge urged lawmakers in the House to restore protections for the 6 GHz band. The group said it was worried that as much as half of the band could be sold off as the FCC tries to meet the quota set by lawmakers.
“We urge House representatives – who protected the 6 GHz band from auction in the version originally passed by the House – to have the courage to restore those same protections stripped out by Senator Cruz,” Sara Collins, Public Knowledge’s director of government affairs said in a statement. “This will save our nation’s Wi-Fi from the auction block and secure American leadership in gigabit Wi-Fi.”
NCTA, which represents the cable industry, supported the bill’s tax cuts but said it would “disappointingly tilt the spectrum playing field towards the three large cellular companies.”
Cable, consumer groups like Public Knowledge, and wireless ISPs have been asking senators to protect 6 GHz, plus the shared Citizens Broadband Radio Service band, which they were unable to secure. Like 6 GHz, they worry CBRS could be sold off to 5G carriers, an idea AT&T and the Defense Department have floated.
David Zumwalt, CEO of WISPA, which represents small and wireless ISPs, reiterated Tuesday that the group’s members had already invested in equipment using those 6 GHz and CBRS, and were worried that money would be wasted.
“Both bands are heavily used by small ISPs to bring service and bridge digital divides in rural America,” WISPA CEO David Zumwalt said in a statement. “Millions there live better lives because of such services.”
Should the Senate bill become law, he said the group would “pledge our staunch efforts to help the FCC understand the integral role CBRS and 6 GHz services play in our national economy, urging the agency to leave those bands alone in meeting the calls of the legislation.”
For its part, CTIA, the main trade group for the major wireless carriers, was pleased with the legislation.
“CTIA applauds the Senate for passing the One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes a solid spectrum pipeline and smart tax provisions to support wireless investment,” CTIA CEO Ajit Pai said in a statement. “We urge swift action to pass this legislation so President Trump can sign it into law.”
Pai led the FCC during President Donald Trump’s first term and served on his transition team in 2024. He took over at CTIA in April.
Republican leadership on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, responsible for the spectrum language, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the committee’s top Democrat, reiterated Tuesday he was opposed to using the revenue from spectrum auctions to pay for tax cuts. The auctions are estimated to bring in $85 billion to $88 billion over the next 10 years.
The House bill would also have prevented states from regulating artificial intelligence companies for 10 years, something the Senate version lacks. Cruz attempted to tie the provision to Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding to align it with budget legislation rules before scrapping it amid a lack of support.
