For Immediate Release 

December 18, 2025

Contact: [email protected]

In case you missed it – Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) champions warned that the low-power approach that has made America’s innovation band an unmitigated success could be in danger if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) increases power levels in the new year. The concerns raised by Spectrum for the Future Policy Director Dave Wright and OnGo Alliance Board Member Jason Wallin during a recent episode of Light Reading’s Signal Strength Podcast reflect existing CBRS users’ continued uncertainty surrounding the band and its future, as leaders at the FCC and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) search for more spectrum for commercial use.

“There is varying concern that you might get some high-power people who might be able to come in and are able to overpower a lot of the manufacturers or healthcare operators that are using this solution and actually cause that signal to be degraded inside the facilities where those are used,” said Wallin. “And by doing that, it would really impact CBRS’ ability to be effective going forward.”

Wright added that the change policymakers are weighing is “an order of magnitude more power that’s being discussed, and that just kills spectrum efficiency. Instead of being able to put 100 radios in this area, I could probably now put 10 or less without them interfering with one other…squeezing out all the smaller players.”

The CBRS band’s low-power framework and carefully calibrated out-of-band emissions enable accessible, local connectivity, fueling everything from 5G broadband to universities, farms, ports and airports, and manufacturing facilities. Critically, this advantage provides users with a more flexible alternative to the Big Three carriers’ high-power service.

Listen to the full podcast episode here.