For Immediate Release
September 22, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
In case you missed it – Spectrum sharing took center stage at Tarana Wireless’ Connecting Communities Summit on September 17, where policymakers and industry leaders highlighted the success of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) ecosystem and discussed how shared spectrum can expand connectivity, fuel innovation, and support the next generation of wireless networks.
During a fireside chat, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty emphasized the importance of an “all of the above” approach to spectrum policy. She noted that the FCC is working to make more spectrum available, support secondary-market transactions, and increase the utility of unlicensed spectrum to expand access to connectivity.
Tarana Wireless CEO Basil Alwan reinforced the value of low-power shared spectrum within that framework. “Low power spectrum actually can be used very effectively,” Alwan said, “but also can be reused really aggressively.” This principle, he explained, enables the kind of dense deployments and widespread access that benefit both carriers and new entrants.
The summit’s “Spectrum: Sharing is Caring!” panel underscored CBRS’ rapid growth since its commercial launch in 2019. WISPA Vice President of Policy Louis Peraertz noted that more than 450,000 CBRS devices have been deployed nationwide, many of them in rural communities. Federated Wireless President and CEO Iyad Tarazi highlighted the breadth of the ecosystem, which now includes more than 400 companies, approximately 1,000 operators, and deployment across 81% of U.S. counties.
Panelists also pointed to CBRS’ expanding role in enterprise, agriculture, energy, private wireless, and broadband deployments. They emphasized that the band’s dynamic coordination model has enabled innovation while protecting incumbent users, including federal operations.
“CBRS is a victim of its own success,” Tarazi said, noting that the band was once viewed as “garbage spectrum” but has since become one of the most widely used and cost-effective spectrum resources for wireless connectivity.
The conversation also looked ahead to the future of spectrum sharing–including the 4.4 GHz band. Spectrum for the Future Global Policy Director Dave Wright highlighted a new report from Valo Analytica demonstrating that sharing could expand commercial access to 4.4 GHz while protecting critical federal operations.
“Valo Analytica just released today a study that examines the opportunity for and the benefits of sharing in the 4.4 GHz band,” Wright said during the panel. “Valo has thoroughly examined the existing information about federal operations in the band, and they’ve concluded that a spectrum sharing regime would maximize the potential of the 4.4 GHz band for new commercial operations, as well as the ongoing federal operations.”
The report finds that existing coordination tools could help bring commercial use online sooner and at lower cost, while supporting federal missions and emerging applications such as AI, 6G, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Its conclusion: sharing should be evaluated as a central strategy as NTIA studies the future of the band.
As the FCC and NTIA consider the future of CBRS, 6 GHz, 4.4 GHz, and other bands, the summit made clear that spectrum sharing is not a theoretical policy concept—it is a proven framework delivering connectivity, investment, and innovation today, with the potential to support even more American leadership in the AI era.