Carr Attempts Middle-Ground Stance on DOD Opposition to Repurposing Its Spectrum
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr attempted to strike a balance during his Thursday post-commission meeting news conference in his response to a question about where he stands in the battle that Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is waging against DOD opposition to reallocating any military-controlled spectrum for commercial wireless use (see 2502190068). Carr said policymakers “can find a path forward” to increase spectrum availability that will also “fully protect the interests of our national security” and DOD.
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Cruz, meanwhile, confirmed to us Wednesday night that he has spoken directly to President Donald Trump about the situation. The lawmaker said he has “had multiple conversations” with Trump and White House officials about his concerns with DOD opposition to relinquishing any military-controlled frequencies. “I'll let [Trump] speak for himself” about where he stands on the issue, Cruz said. The White House didn’t comment. Cruz last year spearheaded the 2024 Spectrum Pipeline Act, which would require NTIA to identify at least 2,500 MHz of midband spectrum to reallocate within the next five years (see 2403110066). He's touting the proposal this year as his preferred spectrum language for inclusion in a budget reconciliation package.
Carr said Cruz “has been out front on the need for America to get more spectrum in the pipeline" and is “exactly right to be looking for ways to free up more spectrum.” The federal government should move away from the “0 MHz” approach in place during the Biden administration and instead identify enough airwaves to close the U.S. “gap with China [on midband spectrum for commercial use] but also [do] so in a way that takes care of the interests of our federal partners,” he said: “That's what I'm committed to doing. I think we have a real opportunity to deliver great results for all stakeholders in this space.”
Carr said the U.S. “being at such a serious disadvantage, being so out of balance” compared with China and other nations “is itself a national security issue for this country.” It's “also a competitive issue” because when “we free up spectrum, it creates jobs,” he said: “It drives down prices,” which “allows new providers to enter markets and give people consumer choice.”
Navy secretary nominee John Phelan told Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., during a Thursday Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing that he does “not believe any changes should be made” to U.S. naval systems’ presence on the 3.1-3.45 GHz band “that increase risk to the Navy.” Rounds, a vocal opponent of legislative attempts to mandate reallocation of the lower 3 GHz band, noted that the Navy “relies heavily on” that frequency, “especially when it pertains to radar” and its “Aegis combat system.”
Rounds said he knows “we’ve got to do something about 5G,” but “some interests do not understand how significant the threat is to our [U.S.] homeland.” He cited Trump’s interest in creating a U.S. version of Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense system. “There’s no way [Trump] could do that without the protection of this particular” band, Rounds said. Senate Communications Subcommittee Chair Deb Fischer, R-Neb., another critic of reallocating DOD-controlled spectrum, brought up the issue during a Tuesday Armed Services confirmation hearing for deputy defense secretary nominee Stephen Feinberg.