October 08, 2025
The CBRS spectrum band has been a resounding success, powering innovation, mobile competition, and new connectivity across the U.S. This success is due in large part to carefully-crafted technical rules, involving lower power levels and corresponding emissions limits that protect incumbent users and allow for efficient spectrum utilization. But now the CBRS band is under attack by CTIA and its Big Cellular members like AT&T and Verizon, who try to disguise their efforts at the FCC as mere “technical changes,” despite the fact that CBRS auctioned-and-licensed spectrum has been deployed for several years.
That’s rich, considering CTIA has previously argued that “technical changes” to Big Cellular’s own exclusively controlled spectrum bands would have catastrophic consequences:
“…changing the rules for already-auctioned, licensed, and deployed spectrum would cause significant disruption…”
Changing the rules
“would unjustifiably modify licenses, harming licensees and consumers despite successful operations in the band for years”
“CTIA urges the Commission to refrain from making
any changes to the
emissions limits”
“Licensees and manufacturers would be burdened with significant additional costs to support bespoke equipment for the band, which would inevitably be borne in part by consumers.”
“…revising the [out-of-band
emission] limit could make
existing equipment planned for these deployments unusable”
“Changing the rules at this point would also necessitate the development of new equipment, further complicating deployment in an already unique spectral environment.”
Changes to the rules relied on at auction “would set a dangerous precedent and could have negative implications for future auction participants.”
Changing the out-of-band emission limit would “undermine the regulatory certainty that licensees and manufacturers relied upon
to bid on and win licenses
and further invest”
“…all licenses auctioned in the future would carry a cloud of uncertainty that the Commission will fundamentally change the licenses’ associated technical rules after the fact”
It’s just another case of Big Cellular Doublespeak. The truth? Major changes to CBRS – such as increasing transmission power limits by 32,000%, as some have proposed – would be similarly devastating to its users and to the regulatory certainty that is foundational to American spectrum policy. After decades of unchecked profits at the expense of American consumers, Big Cellular is facing real mobile competition from cable and they don’t like it. But instead of engaging in fair competition, Big Cellular is trying to co-opt the CBRS spectrum to roadblock their competitors and protect their high prices.
“Nearly Half of All Wireless
Line Additions in 2024 Were
from a Cable Operator”
“With 18M Mobile Lines, Cable
Still ‘Biggest Headwind’ for AT&T,
T-Mobile and Verizon”
“Disruption and Convergence:
How Cable Companies Are
Taking Mobile Market Share”
CBRS spectrum license holders rely on long-established FCC rules played by the rules, purchased spectrum and invested billions in U.S. 5G mobile infrastructure and technology. Standing behind its already decided technical and spectrum decisions, while maintaining consistent, fair rules across all bands, is the best way for the FCC to encourage innovation and investment. The FCC should refrain from disrupting CBRS and ensure that it protects the innovation, competition, and burgeoning connectivity that its providers and users have created.