(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) President Tom Schatz testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government regarding the importance of access to spectrum.

He released the following statement:

“The widespread use of wireless 5G networks will dramatically change mobile communications, and technologies into the next generation. Mid-band spectrum utilization, which is essential to 5G deployment, could provide $154 billion in capital expenditures by wireless providers for 5G networks over seven years, add $274 billion to U.S. GDP, and create 1.3 million new direct and indirect jobs. However, there is an ongoing debate over how one band of spectrum, known as the c-band will be repurposed and sold for mobile 5G use. Since 1994, the FCC has conducted 102 spectrum auctions, generating more than $122 billion. An FCC auction of this public resource with strong oversight will protect incumbent users of the spectrum and ensure that excess proceeds from such a sale would go to the taxpayers. If it is sold in a private sale by foreign satellite companies, taxpayers are not guaranteed to receive any proceeds from the sale. Given the FCC’s track record of success, it is difficult to see why any other entity should be permitted to conduct the c-band spectrum auction. Deployment of 5G using mid-band spectrum is essential to ensuring that the U.S. stays ahead of China and other nations to maintain its global technological leadership.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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