Washington, D.C. – Spectrum for the Future was among 29 wireless innovators, leading businesses, and other spectrum users to urge U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to maintain and protect the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) from changes that would undermine U.S. global wireless leadership. In the letter, stakeholders highlighted that protecting shared spectrum access in the CBRS band will ensure that American companies can continue to innovate and invest in critical shared spectrum technology that will provide an offramp from zero sum game spectrum fights and enable win-win spectrum solutions for both U.S. economic and national security.
“The lower-power, localized nature of CBRS spectrum…has resulted in widespread adoption across a range of use cases and applications. CBRS spectrum has been the key enabler of deployments for advanced manufacturing (semiconductors, electric vehicles and other automobiles, agricultural equipment, wireless systems, etc.), industrial and enterprise private networks, transportation and logistics connectivity (e.g., airports and shipping terminals), the U.S. military, rural broadband, competitive mobile services, school and library access, large public venues and sporting events, healthcare and more. Of course, mobile operators utilize CBRS spectrum as well, with Verizon being the largest purchaser of CBRS licenses,” wrote CBRS leaders.
“As your department evaluates our nation’s spectrum needs across federal and commercial uses, we urge you to maintain and protect the existing CBRS framework and the carefully selected and mutually agreed technical parameters that enable sharing,” they added.
In addition to Spectrum for the Future, signatories included Access Humbold; Barich, Inc.; Benton Institute for Broadband & Society; Cambium Networks; Celona, Inc.; Charter Communications, Inc.; Comcast Corporation; Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE); Cox Communications; Digital Global Systems; Dynamic Spectrum Alliance; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Imagine Wireless; Innovation Economy Alliance; Institute for Policy Innovation; JMA Wireless; Mediacom Communications Corporation; Midcontinent Communications; NCTA – The Internet & Television Association; Nextlink Internet; Open Technology Institute at New America; Public Knowledge; The Schools, Health, & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition; Syracuse University; Tarana Wireless; U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC); and WISPA – The Association for Broadband without Boundaries.
Read the full letter here.