Spectrum for the Future Challenges Faulty Math on Auction Revenues

Washington, D.C. – Spectrum for the Future, a diverse coalition of innovators, anchor institutions, and technology companies, released the following statement regarding misleading claims at today’s hearing in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that auctioning away military spectrum would yield a $100 billion windfall for federal coffers:

“Advocates for T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are trying to convince Congress to treat auctions of military spectrum like free money for other federal spending, but they are looking at only their own side of the ledger,” said Tamara Smith, spokesperson for Spectrum for the Future. “An exclusive auction of the U.S.military’s mid-band spectrum would cost taxpayers at least $250 billion due to the cost of redesigning and relocating critical defense systems. Not only would vacating the band take decades to complete and jeopardize America’s national security, but it would also result in a net loss to taxpayers. In contrast, testimony at today’s hearing made it clear – dynamic spectrum sharing would produce billions in real revenue without forcing the military to abandon vital bands, making it a true win-win for the American people.”