Washington, D.C. – Today, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced a proposal to begin the auction process of c-band spectrum, which is critical to the deployment of 5G networks across the country.  The proposal would clear the lower 300 MHz of the c-band and auction 280 MHz of that allocation.  If adopted, the FCC will move forward with an auction of the lower 100 MHz of spectrum by December 8, 2020 and anticipate clearing the remaining 180 MHz of spectrum by 2023.  The FCC will vote on the proposal, which will be released in full tomorrow, at its February 28, 2020 monthly meeting.

This proposal is imperative to ensure that the U.S. remains the leader in 5G, since as U.S. Attorney General William Barr warned today, nothing can be taken for granted.  He said that, “The Chinese are using every lever of power to expand their 5G market share around the globe,” and that in every other country besides the U.S., the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is the leading supplier of 5G.

Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz issued the following statement:

“U.S. leadership in 5G deployment is an economic and national security imperative.  There is a critical need for mid-band spectrum, and the proposal announced today by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to free up portions of the c-band spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band leverages the FCC’s vast experience in operating public auctions of spectrum using a transparent, market-based approach, ensures widespread deployment of 5G across the country and provides revenue for taxpayers.  CAGW looks forward to reviewing the complete proposal when it is released as well as legislation being considered in Congress regarding the c-band auction.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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