By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee said the sale of wireless spectrum held by the Pentagon could put President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense shield and other military projects at risk.
Senator Maria Cantwell said mandating the sale of military wireless spectrum also could endanger a substantial number of military radar systems.
WHY IT MATTERS
Lawmakers are considering legislation that would approve new auctions to free up spectrum for growing wireless use in a long-running debate over whether to repurpose some spectrum held by the U.S. military. The Federal Communications Commission lost the broad authority from Congress for wireless spectrum sales in 2023.
KEY QUOTES
“Acting to auction this band before we understand the full consequences of doing so risks exposing the United States to even more significant incursions – and next time, it may not merely be a Chinese balloon that we can’t afford to miss,” Cantwell said Tuesday in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “This would be a grave error, placing short-term corporate gain ahead of our nation’s long-term
security.”
CONTEXT
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has urged Congress to restore the commission’s authority, saying “America has been falling behind China and many other nations when it comes to the amount of prime, mid-band spectrum necessary to power new innovations.”
Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz has said he is working to get spectrum auction authority attached to broad tax legislation Congress is expected to take up in the coming weeks that could raise $100 billion or more in revenue.
Cantwell also raised concerns about requiring an auction of the 7 to 8 GHz bands. “This band is essential to our national security and our ability to communicate and coordinate military action worldwide,” Cantwell wrote.
She also raised concerns about repurposing much of the 6 GHz band for high-powered commercial use that could benefit Huawei.
“If the United States were to follow China’s lead and switch the upper 6 GHz band to full power use, it would only favor Huawei – the only global telecommunications supplier currently building equipment for licensed 5G in that band,” Cantwell said.
REACTION
The Pentagon and Huawei did not immediately comment.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Edward Tobin)
