5G and Beyond: Exploring the Next Wireless Frontier (U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology)

Hearing	5G and Beyond: Exploring the Next Wireless Frontier
Committee	U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
Date	March 16, 2022

 

Hearing Takeaways:

• Spectrum Policy and Technical Considerations for Supporting Wireless Technologies: The hearing focused on the deployment of wireless technologies and how the U.S. would need to make more spectrum available in order to satisfy the increasing demand for wireless services. This would include both licensed spectrum (for commercial use) and unlicensed spectrum (which could support Wi-Fi). The hearing further highlighted how more spectrum would need to be made available in order to support fixed wireless networking options. 
  • Spectrum Conflicts Between Federal Agencies and Industry Stakeholders: A key area of concern during the hearing were the competing spectrum claims of federal agencies and industry stakeholders, which had previously hampered the U.S.’s ability to make more spectrum available. Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses noted that while the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) were typically the lead federal agencies on spectrum issues, they raised concerns that other federal departments and agencies were seeking to infringe upon this area. They specifically criticized the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for circumventing the established spectrum management process through pressuring wireless carriers to accept more conditions on their spectrum licenses post-auction and for raising concerns over the C-band allocations very late in the auction and allocation process. They asserted that the absence of certainty would delay or prevent industry from investing the necessary money to clear spectrum bands in the future. 
  • Impact on Rural, Tribal, and Underserved Communities: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses expressed interest in how wireless technologies (including 5G, 6G, and successive technologies) could benefit traditionally underserved communities, including rural communities, tribal communities, low-income communities, and communities of color. They discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the importance of access to high-speed network connections for many critical online services, including education, work, and health care consultations.
  • U.S. International Competitiveness Regarding Spectrum: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses emphasized that the issue of spectrum availability was key to the U.S.’s international competitiveness. They stated U.S.’s failure to replenish the commercial spectrum pipeline posed risks that the U.S. would fall behind global adversaries (including China and Russia) in producing consumer innovations and enhancing national security capabilities. They stated that these adversaries often sought to develop wireless technologies with surveillance capabilities that were not aligned with U.S. values. They also expressed concerns that these global adversaries were working to undermine U.S. global wireless leadership through trying to use international standards setting institutions to develop standards that favored their technologies over U.S. technologies. They further highlighted how these adversaries were making significant amounts of mid-band spectrum available in order to support their 5G deployment efforts.
• Potential Actions for Improving Spectrum Availability and the U.S.’s Global Leadership on Spectrum Issues: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses provided several policy recommendations for improving the availability of spectrum and bolstering the U.S.’s leadership in spectrum policy.
  • Identification of New Spectrum Bands for Commercial Use: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses expressed interest in identifying new spectrum bands that the U.S. could make available for commercial use. The hearing’s witnesses specifically identified the lower 3 GHz, 4 GHz and 7 GHz bands as potential bands for improving spectrum availability. Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) highlighted his legislation, the Spectrum Innovation Act of 2021, which would make available mid-band spectrum for consumer use in 3.1-3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum. Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s acknowledged however that many federal agencies were currently using the 7 GHz band for their own needs and stated that the U.S. would therefore need to be sensitive to these needs. They further highlighted how the U.S. might need to make more high band and low band spectrum available in order to support the future transition to 6G and successive technologies. Of note, Ms. Stancavage emphasized how the components needed to move into new spectrum bands tended to not be readily available. She noted that component manufacturers were unlikely to develop these components unless they had certainty that the spectrum bands that necessitated the components would soon be made available. She remarked that having the U.S. signal which spectrum bands could be opened up would help to begin the development of new wireless technologies. She added that international coordination would further expedite the development of new wireless technologies through spurring necessary components manufacturing. 
  • Extension of the FCC’s Spectrum Auction Authority: A key area of interest during the hearing was the upcoming September 30, 2022 expiration of the FCC’s ability to conduct spectrum auctions. Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses expressed strong support for extending this authority. They asserted that this authority was key for both completing spectrum auctions currently underway and for maintaining a robust U.S. spectrum pipeline. They also stated that the extension process ought to be used to direct the FCC to auction off new spectrums (which Congress had done in previous extensions of the authority).
  • Use of Spectrum Auction Proceeds to Fund Policy Priorities: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses expressed interest in using the proceeds of spectrum auctions to fund policy priorities, such as digital equity initiatives, Next Generation 911 (NG911), or the replacement of suspect communications equipment. Mr. Guice recommended that policymakers consider using the funds derived from FCC spectrum auctions to endow a foundation whose focus would be to address the broadband connectivity needs of underserved communities. He also suggested that the Committee support a digital literacy initiative to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color possessed the requisite skills to make use of broadband services.
  • Creation and Usage of Spectrum Auction Opportunities for Minority Groups and Tribal Communities: Subcommittee Members and Mr. Guice expressed interest in ensuring that minority groups and tribal communities would be able to participate in spectrum auction opportunities. They expressed interest in the FCC’s Tribal Priority Window and the establishment of potential credits that would ensure that tribal nationals would have sufficient time and resources to apply for spectrum opportunities.
  • Development of a National Spectrum Strategy: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses expressed interest in having the U.S. establish a national spectrum strategy in order to better coordinate its spectrum policies across federal agencies. There was broad support for having the FCC and the NTIA lead the U.S.’s spectrum policy and for updating the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the FCC and the NTIA. Ms. Brown discussed how federal agency spectrum decisions were often challenged by user communities that feared interference and that did not perceive that their perspectives were being accounted for in the decision making process. She suggested that policymakers consider developing new consensus making mechanisms for spectrum policy decisions. She specifically recommended that the U.S. have the NTIA’s Boulder Laboratory take a more visible leadership role in coordinating spectrum management. She commented that empowering this Laboratory would help to build engineering consensus on spectrum management issues. She also recommended that Congress consider providing the FCC with the authority to conduct independent engineering research. She remarked that strengthening tools for regulators and consensus across federal agencies and stakeholders could lead to reduced friction and better usage of the U.S.’s airwaves.
  • Improvement of the Efficiency of Current Government Spectrum Use: Subcommittee Members and the hearing’s witnesses raised concerns that government departments and agencies were making inefficient use of their spectrum, which reduced the availability of spectrum for commercial use. Mr. Bergmann discussed how the commercial wireless industry possessed strong incentives to constantly have new generations of technology with greater spectrum efficiency. He commented that the same incentives did not always exist for federal government agencies.
  • The Simplifying Management, Reallocation, and Transfer of (SMART) Spectrum Act: Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) mentioned how he had introduced the SMART Spectrum Act, which would require the NTIA to establish an incumbent informing capability system for sharing spectrum between federal and non-federal users.
  • Support for Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s Candidacy to Become the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Both Subcommittee Chairman Doyle and Full Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) expressed support for Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s candidacy to become the Secretary-General of the ITU. They stated that Bogdan-Martin’s candidacy was important for ensuring that the U.S. maintained global influence regarding wireless technology policy issues. 
• Other Topics: In addition to spectrum availability and wireless technology deployment, several Subcommittee Members raised additional wireless technology policy topics during the hearing.
  • Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 6G Technology: Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) expressed interest in how AI technology would be increasingly used within 6G and successive technologies to enhance spectrum utilization and efficiency. Ms. Brown and Ms. Stancavage stated that while AI would most likely have an increased role within 6G and successive technologies, they asserted that the specific use cases for AI within these technologies were unknowable at the current time.
  • Collection of Broadband Access Issue: Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA) expressed interest in improving the accuracy of wireless broadband coverage maps. Mr. Guice acknowledged that it was more difficult to conduct wireless broadband mapping than wireline broadband mapping. He recommended that Congress work to ensure that there existed data crowdsourcing opportunities for consumers so that they could challenge and improve the official broadband maps when needed.
  • Allegations of False Advertising Against Wireless Services Providers: Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) mentioned how the most recent annual speed test from PC Magazine had found that Verizon and AT&T’s 5G speeds in several cities were comparable or sometimes even slower than their 4G speeds. She also noted how consumers sometimes had to pay more for 5G services through upgrading their devices or service plans. She criticized wireless service providers for advertising faster speeds while delivering lower speeds. 

Hearing Witnesses:

1. Mr. Scott Bergmann, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs. CTIA
2. Mr. Mary L. Brown, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Cisco Systems, Inc.
3. Mr. Greg Guice, Director of Government Affairs, Public Knowledge
4. Ms. Jayne Stancavage, Global Executive Director, Product and Digital Infrastructure Policy, Intel Corporation
5. Mr. Von Todd, Chief Executive of Corporate Strategy and Analytics, HTC Inc., Director, Competitive Carriers Association Board of Directors

Member Opening Statements:

Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA):

• He first applauded the Subcommittee for its bipartisan work on spectrum policy issues and commented that spectrum policy played an important role in the lives of most consumers.
  • He highlighted how the average U.S. household has 25 connected devices, how smartphone penetration was above 80 percent, and how wireless device subscriptions outnumber the U.S. population.
• He remarked that spectrum would be necessary regardless of whether customers have wired or fixed wireless connections and asserted that the U.S. must use its airways as efficiently as possible.
• He contended that more spectrum would need to be made available for consumer use due to the anticipated exponential growth of wireless data usage.
  • He stated that the federal government would thus need to use its spectrum allocations more efficiently, recognize spectrum sharing as a viable opportunity, and work cooperatively with neighboring commercial spectrum users.
• He remarked that Congress must recognize the spectrum demands of the federal government and provide federal agencies with the necessary resources.
  • He also stated that the U.S. must strike a balance of licensed and unlicensed spectrum for commercial spectrum.
• He contended that the U.S. needed to make spectrum available in order to sustain the deployment of 5G and support the development of 6G.
• He also discussed the importance of identifying spectrum for unlicensed use in order to sustain the growth in Wi-Fi usage and to support the development of the next generation of Wi-Fi.
  • He commented that the lower 3 GHz band presented an “enormous” opportunity for making additional consumer-oriented spectrum available.
• He remarked that the Spectrum Innovation Act would appropriately balance incumbent federal agency user needs and the importance of their missions with the goal of maximizing the availability of spectrum for consumer usage.
  • He commented that reallocating additional spectrum to the private sector would result in additional uses of both licensed and unlicensed spectrum bands.
• He also called on Congress to extend the ability of the FCC to conduct spectrum auctions and to examine how spectrum allocation decisions were being made.
• He mentioned how he had developed a set of principles with Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) for U.S. spectrum policy.
  • He indicated that these principles included the recognition of the NTIA as the federal government body tasked with conducting federal spectrum policy, the need for clear spectrum rules that were based on science and engineering, and the importance of having the federal government speak with a clear and unified voice on spectrum policy decisions.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH):

• He discussed how the U.S. had pioneered the innovative use of spectrum and highlighted how this innovation had led to the growth of Wi-Fi, multiple generations of mobile technology, and the application economy.
  • He referenced a recent report that had found that unlicensed spectrum had generated over $95 billion annually in the connected technology market.
• He mentioned how Congress had provided the FCC with the authority to auction off spectrum licenses and noted how the FCC had held over 100 spectrum auctions.
• He remarked that the FCC’s auction authority had played a “critical” role in supporting new innovations and commented that these auctions provided spectrum users with the necessary certainty to make critical investments.
  • He noted how the two most recent spectrum auctions had netted over $100 billion for the U.S. government.
• He discussed how the spectrum auctions were becoming more complex as more spectrum was being used and stated that new spectrum use cases could have the potential for harmful interference.
• He remarked that these concerns of harmful interference were magnified when federal agencies were using bands adjacent to bands being used by new commercial users.
  • He commented that challenges have arose regarding how federal agencies coordinate their plans for introducing new services and study the potential for harmful interference.
• He called on the Committee to examine how federal agency spectrum policy decisions will build trust in the engineering community and certainty within the federal spectrum licensing process.
• He noted how the FCC’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions and issue spectrum licenses was expiring at the end of the current fiscal year and stated that the Committee should review this authority as part of the reauthorization process.
• He then yielded his time to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA):

• He remarked that the Subcommittee had pursued bipartisan action to assert U.S. global leadership in wireless innovation.
• He recounted how the FCC under the Trump administration had auctioned off several spectrum bands for commercial use.
  • He commented that these spectrum auctions had benefited consumers and had spurred innovation.
• He also mentioned how recent spectrum auctions had generated billions of dollars in private sector investment and highlighted how the most recent C-band auction had generated more than $80 billion in revenue.
  • He indicated that this $80 billion amount had far exceeded the original estimates from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) regarding the auction.
• He called it important for Congress to allow for the FCC to complete pending spectrum auctions as it worked to reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority.
• He also remarked that Congress must work to ensure that parties were able to operate within the spectrum that they had already paid for and to encourage additional private spectrum investments.
  • He further asserted that the U.S. needed to address the threats posed by China within the spectrum space.

Full Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ):

• He discussed the importance of spectrum for supporting U.S. technological innovation and asserted that the U.S.’s previous leadership in this area did not guarantee future leadership in 6G or Wi-Fi 7 technology.
• He remarked that the U.S.’s failure to replenish the commercial spectrum pipeline could lead the U.S. to fall behind global counterparts (including China) in producing consumer innovations and in national security capabilities.
• He highlighted how China had reportedly made three times as much mid-band spectrum available for 5G as compared to the U.S.
  • He explained that mid-band spectrum played a key role in supporting wireless broadband services, faster speeds, less buffering, and access to indoor signals.
• He then remarked that the U.S. must provide innovators with access to spectrum to benefit the public.
• He discussed how the FCC had accomplished this feat through its spectrum auction program and through “truly remarkable and innovative” unlicensed spectrum policies.
  • He called the FCC’s spectrum auction program a “resounding success” and noted how it had raised $200 billion in federal revenues since its inception.
• He indicated that the FCC’s spectrum auction authority was set to expire in about six months and contended that Congress must extend this authority in a bipartisan manner before the FCC commences its planned auction of the 2.5 GHz band in July 2022.
  • He commented that Congress’s failure to extend this authority before the auction would result in the auction being disrupted.
• He also stated that Congress would be able to put the money raised in the spectrum auction to good use and suggested that this money could support efforts to promote digital equity, NG911, or the replacement of suspect communications equipment.
• He expressed his support for the Spectrum Innovation Act and applauded the leaders at the FCC and the NTIA for aligning their spectrum policy approaches.
  • He mentioned how the FCC and the NTIA had recently announced a spectrum coordination initiative that would produce a national spectrum policy.

Full Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA):

• She remarked that the U.S. was the global leader in wireless technology and asserted that 5G technology would be a “game changer” for rural communities.
  • She commented that the U.S. must continue its efforts to make spectrum available, promote innovation, and keep pace with the demands for new wireless technologies in order to maintain its global leadership status.
• She stated that the efficient use of the U.S.’s spectrum resources would be “essential” for the U.S. to keep up with the demand for wireless devices.
• She mentioned how the FCC had made an “unprecedented” amount of spectrum available for commercial use during the Trump administration and noted that these spectrum auctions had brought in over $100 billion.
• She discussed how wireless carriers have worked closely with federal incumbents and the NTIA on developing technology within the 3.5 GHz band, which was known as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.
  • She also mentioned how the FCC had made 1,200 MHz of unlicensed spectrum available in the 6 GHz band and commented that next generation technologies were currently being developed to make use of this spectrum.
• She asserted that Congress must build upon previous successes within the spectrum space and provide both industry and government agencies with certainty with regard to spectrum reallocations and auctions.
  • She stated that Congress must address the FCC’s expiring auction authority to ensure that pending auctions were successful and able to be completed.
• She remarked that Congress must work to ensure that costly fights between government agencies and industry stakeholders over spectrum did not become a normal occurrence.
  • She commented that the absence of certainty would prevent industry from investing the necessary money to clear spectrum bands in the future.
• She contended that the U.S. needed to establish a national spectrum strategy in order to maintain the U.S.’s global leadership in wireless technology.
• She then stated that repurposing spectrum was becoming more difficult and called it crucial that federal agencies and wireless stakeholders work together on addressing this topic.
  • She acknowledged that while federal agencies had legitimate spectrum needs for their systems, she remarked that the timeline for upgrading their systems to become more efficient did not keep pace with commercial technology.
• She also contended that federal agencies had resorted to public fear mongering rather than work through established spectrum management processes.
  • She highlighted how the U.S. Department of Transportation had recently sought to assert its authority over commercial spectrum bands and stated that the Department did not hold licenses within these bands.
• She remarked that costly inter-agency battles for spectrum undermined the U.S.’s ability to take a global leadership role in next generation communications.
• She then discussed how the U.S.’s adversaries, including Russia and China, were working to undermine U.S. global wireless leadership and stated that China was actively trying to use international standards setting institutions advantage their technologies over U.S. technologies.
• She called on Congress to enhance the ability of U.S. companies to influence international standards setting processes.
  • She mentioned how Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) was working on legislation that would require the NTIA to do this.
• She also expressed support for Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s candidacy to become the Secretary-General of the ITU and noted how Doreen Bogdan-Martin was running against a candidate from the Russian Federation.

Witness Opening Statements:

Mr. Greg Guice (Public Knowledge):

• He remarked that the U.S. needed to use all tools available to address the heightened demand for spectrum (including both licensed and unlicensed spectrum), insist on expert coordination of spectrum policy led by the FCC and the NTIA, and emphasize the public interest.
• He stated that policymakers would need to focus on spectrum policy issues like spectrum utilization by incumbents and the tightening of technical parameters (including receivers).
• He asserted that the paradigm that spectrum policy involved a fight between licensed and unlicensed spectrum was wrong and contended that the U.S. instead needed a mix of access regimes that promote spectrum efficiency and a healthy and vibrant wireless sector.
  • He commented that an example of this approach was the FCC’s CBRS proceeding and noted how the FCC had taken a three-tier access approach that balanced the needs of protecting ongoing incumbent use while creating opportunities for commercial licensed services, as well as open access spectrum use.
• He also discussed the importance of having federal agencies coordinate their spectrum usage and stated that the NTIA should serve as the agency that hears and addresses the concerns of federal agencies.
  • He applauded the FCC and NTIA for working on a spectrum coordination update and for developing a national spectrum policy.
• He then remarked that the U.S. must ensure that all spectrum allocations served the public interest, convenience, and necessity.
  • He contended that the U.S. must ensure that rural communities, low-income communities, and communities of color would be able to enjoy the benefits of spectrum technologies both as consumers and as creators and innovators.
• He stated that Congress could advance public interest needs in spectrum policy through renewing the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, supporting public interest needs with auction revenues, reviewing the 3 GHz band, encouraging the FCC to open up the 12 GHz band, and supporting sensing technologies and advances in incumbent informing capabilities.
  • He suggested that auction revenues could be used to advance public interest objectives, such as digital equity.

Mr. Von Todd (HTC Inc., Competitive Carriers Association Board of Directors):

• He indicated that his company, HTC Inc., was the U.S.’s largest telecommunications cooperative and expressed optimism regarding the role that wireless technology could play in helping HTC bring the latest communication services to all of their members.
• He stated that while the potential of wireless services (including 5G) was limitless, he asserted that a key input needed to make that potential a reality was spectrum.
  • He noted how carriers depended on sustainable and predictable access to spectrum, which he noted was a finite resource.
• He remarked that Congress could support efforts to ensure that all Americans had access to the latest wireless services through extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, bringing additional bands of spectrum to the market for licensed commercial use, and making sure that winning auction bidders could swiftly and efficiently put those spectrum resources to use to serve consumers.
• He then discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted the “urgent need” for access to broadband services and noted how HTC had worked to provide connectivity to its customers in response to the pandemic.
  • He specifically mentioned how HTC had worked to provide such connectivity through providing bill credits, installing new community and school hotspots, and participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
• He stated that HTC’s ability to provide wireless connectivity services depended on their ability to access spectrum resources.
  • He commented that wireless connectivity services were particularly important to reach more rural and impoverished areas.
• He discussed how the spectrum needed to provide reliable wireless connectivity was only available through licenses from the federal government, which were typically obtained through FCC spectrum auctions or through secondary market transactions.
  • He noted how FCC spectrum auctions allowed for smaller license sizes, which he commented were critical for smaller companies (like HTC).
• He remarked that companies needed to know that additional spectrum would be made available and that Congress would extend the FCC’s spectrum license authority in order to continue to bring the latest services to market.
  • He highlighted how this year’s 2.5 GHz spectrum auction would make more spectrum available and commented that this increased availability would provide carriers with increased confidence in their ability to meet subscriber data needs and remain competitive.
• He encouraged Congress and the FCC to maintain a predictable and sufficient supply of spectrum to meet growing wireless demands (including in low, mid, and high bands) and to enable smaller carriers to make use of this spectrum.
• He lastly called for improvements in the interagency spectrum coordination process and thanked the Committee for their efforts to enhance and restore faith in the process.
  • He specifically commended the Committee for working to update the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the FCC and the NTIA.

Ms. Jayne Stancavage (Intel Corporation):

• She discussed how her company, Intel, was one of only three semiconductor manufacturers in the world using advanced nodes.
• She commented that Intel’s semiconductor products were “foundational” to personal, cloud, quantum, high-performance computing, AI, internet of things (IoT) technologies, autonomous vehicles (AVs), 5G, and Wi-Fi.
  • She also stated that Intel was a leading silicon provider for 5G infrastructure and a leader in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth solutions for the personal computer (PC) market.
• She called it “crucial” for the U.S. to replenish its spectrum pipeline for mobile broadband technologies in low, mid, and high bands to meet near-term and long-term deployment goals for consumers and businesses.
• She stated that the U.S. needed to start identifying spectrum within the 7 GHz to 15 GHz range in order to prepare for the future transition to 6G.
  • She also noted that 6G might also utilize high bands, including bands above 95 GHz, as well as low bands.
• She discussed how replenishing the spectrum pipeline would require identifying bands for study, ensuring that studies would be conducted in a timely manner, and ensuring the commercial availability of the spectrum.
  • She commented that the commercial availability of the spectrum would need to include the lower 3 GHz band.
• She remarked that making decisions on spectrum in a timely manner would be crucial to enabling a U.S. leadership role in wireless globally.
  • She asserted that the FCC’s decision to open the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi had been “transformative” and indicated that over 60 countries had subsequently followed the U.S.’s lead on this issue.
• He then discussed how the ITU had targeted the completion of the 5G high band spectrum process in November 2019 while Intel had completed its own internal analysis of the spectrum in September 2015.
• She noted how the FCC had issued its first report and order making high band spectrum available over three years before the ITU target date.
• She stated that the FCC’s early action on the topic had meant that much of the U.S.’s high band spectrum was harmonized for use in mobile technologies when the international treaty deliberations occurred in 2019.
• She noted how the ITU process for 6G technology was expected to be completed in 2030 and contended that the U.S. should work to make spectrum available for 6G by mid-2026.
  • She asserted that the U.S.’s lack of rapid action would result in the U.S. ceding its leadership role in developing 6G technology.
• She then remarked that the NTIA must be empowered to represent the federal agencies to ensure that the U.S.’s spectrum resources would be managed in the public interest.
• She further asserted that the extension of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority would be important for continued U.S. broadband deployment efforts.
• She lastly discussed how the U.S. had lost a significant amount of semiconductor production to Asia over the previous 30 years, which had created a 30 percent cost disadvantage for semiconductor chip manufacturing in the U.S.
  • She contended that federal investments were “urgently” needed to reverse this trend.
• She thanked Congress for its passage of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act and called on Congress to conference the bills that contained funding for this legislation.

Mr. Scott Bergmann (CTIA):

• He commended the Committee for its longstanding practice of identifying specific spectrum bands for the FCC to auction.
• He stated that fixed wireless 5G was helping to address the “digital divide” and bring competition to the home broadband market.
• He remarked that all of 5G’s benefits were predicated on the availability of spectrum and asserted that the U.S. needed to make more spectrum available (especially licensed mid-band spectrum).
• He applauded FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel for her swift action on the 3.45 GHz spectrum auction last year and her recent announcement regarding the 2.5 GHz spectrum auction.
  • He noted however that the U.S. did not have any spectrum auctions planned after the upcoming 2.5 GHz spectrum auction.
• He remarked that other nations understood that global leadership in wireless technology was dependent on access to spectrum and highlighted how leading nations were making available approximately 650 MHz of licensed mid-band spectrum available on average.
  • He indicated that this amount was more than double the U.S.’s current amount of licensed mid-band spectrum.
• He noted how the FCC’s auction authority was slated to expire in September 2022 and contended that Congressional action was needed to ensure that the FCC would be able to license and auction spectrum that could deliver 5G to U.S. consumers and businesses.
  • He highlighted how Congress had never allowed for the FCC’s spectrum auction authority to lapse since its creation in 1993.
• He mentioned how Congress typically used their extensions of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority to direct the FCC to auction specific bands of spectrum and urged Congress to do so in their upcoming extension of the authority.
• He then asserted that it was in the U.S. national interest to identify a spectrum pipeline with bands that could be auctioned for licensed use.
  • He called the lower 3 GHz band a top priority and commented that this band offered the ability to provide large channels (which made it ideal for 5G).
• He expressed the support of his organization, CTIA, for the Spectrum Innovation Act, which he stated would enhance the process for bringing the 3 GHz band to auction.
• He also stated that Congress should work to identify and set clear deadlines for future access to other mid-band spectrum (as well as low and high bands) at the same time that it extends spectrum auction authority.
• He noted how Congress had a history of leveraging Congressionally directed spectrum auctions to advance other key national priorities, including deficit reduction and the deployment of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).
  • He commented that the Committee was best suited for determining how auction proceeds ought to be spent and mentioned how FCC Chairman Rosenworcel had recently suggested that the proceeds could be used to support NG911.
• He then expressed CTIA’s support for the development of a national spectrum policy.
• He commented that while the U.S. government’s spectrum management process generally worked well, he asserted that the process had broken down during the recent C-band-altimeter debate.
  • He also commended the recent FCC-NTIA spectrum coordination initiative.

Ms. Mary L. Brown (Cisco Systems, Inc.):

• She discussed how her company, Cisco Systems, offered Wi-Fi and private 5G solutions and called spectrum “vital” to her company’s customers.
• She remarked that Congress’s leadership had positioned the U.S. as a technology leader in both unlicensed and licensed spectrum technology.
  • She commented that this position made the U.S. an attractive location for developing and deploying advanced technologies.
• She discussed how Wi-Fi technology had benefited from Congressional and FCC leadership and noted how annual U.S. revenues for the sale of unlicensed devices were approaching $100 billion.
  • She indicated that the total economic value of Wi-Fi in the U.S. would reach as much as $1.6 trillion by 2025.
• She mentioned how the Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless (MOBILE NOW) Act had declared that the FCC must provide for unlicensed spectrum and noted how the FCC had opened 1200 MHz of unlicensed spectrum from the 6 GHz band in 2020.
  • She commented that this action would help to foster a new 6 GHz generation of Wi-Fi.
• She remarked that the speed capabilities of Wi-Fi must improve as broadband networks increase in speed.
• She stated that Wi-Fi was the most widely deployed spectrum technology in American business and noted how 5G would soon become a key part of enterprise technology.
  • She also mentioned how the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) had launched the Next G Alliance to develop a consensus regarding the standards and expectations for 6G.
• She then discussed how federal agencies had disagreements with regard to spectrum policy and made two recommendations for addressing these disagreements.
  • She first recommended that Congress ought to make its desire clear that the NTIA should serve as the lead federal agency on spectrum matters.
  • She also recommended that Congress ought to celebrate the recent MoU between the FCC and the NTIA.
• She then noted how Congress had maintained the FCC’s spectrum auction authority since it was first adopted in 1993 and called on Congress to renew this authority this year.
  • She commented that while FCC spectrum auctions were often thought of as budget reconciliation tools, she asserted that spectrum auctions supported wireless networks that underlaid significant economic activity.
• She also mentioned how Congress had authorized incentive auctions and called incentive auctions important for efficiently transitioning from old spectrum allocations to new spectrum allocations.

Congressional Question Period:

Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA):

• Chairman Doyle discussed how mid-band spectrum was “vitally important” for wireless connectivity and noted how the Spectrum Innovation Act sought to maximize the amount of spectrum available for consumer use in the 3.1-3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum. He asked Mr. Guice to discuss how the Spectrum Innovation Act would lead to greater utilization of mid-band spectrum.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the Spectrum Innovation Act acknowledged that there were opportunities for both licensing and sharing within the 3.1-3.45 GHZ band. He stated the CBRS process had demonstrated the importance of engaging with various federal agencies to bring more spectrum online for utilization.
• Chairman Doyle asked Mr. Bergmann to indicate whether the Spectrum Innovation Act could provide consumers with greater access to 5G and other next generation wireless technologies.
  • Mr. Bergmann answered affirmatively. He discussed how 5G was largely dependent on mid-band spectrum and called the lower 3 GHz band a critical band for the deployment of 5G. He stated that the Spectrum Innovation Act would improve access to the 3 GHz band, support coordination between the NTIA and the FCC, and provide a timeline for spectrum auctions. He commented that these efforts would help move an internationally harmonized key band to market.
• Chairman Doyle then discussed how increased use of spectrum was leading to confrontations between incumbents and new users, as well new users in the neighboring spectrum bands. He stated that the federal government needed to engage in a coordinated spectrum management process. He asked Ms. Brown to expound on how the U.S. managed the impact of new spectrum uses on adjacent incumbent systems. He also asked Ms. Brown to address how this management would shape the experiences of end users and consumers.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that federal agencies were failing to sufficiently resolve new band adjacencies. She stated that federal agency spectrum decisions were often challenged by user communities that feared interference and that did not perceive that their perspectives were being accounted for in the decision making process. She commented that these fears and perceptions led these users to take a confrontational approach. She suggested that policymakers consider developing new consensus making mechanisms for spectrum policy decisions. She specifically recommended that the U.S. have the NTIA’s Boulder Laboratory take a more visible leadership role in coordinating spectrum management. She commented that empowering this Laboratory would help to build engineering consensus on spectrum management issues. She also recommended that Congress consider providing the FCC with the authority to conduct independent engineering research. She remarked that strengthening tools for regulators and consensus across federal agencies and stakeholders could lead to reduced friction and better usage of the U.S.’s airwaves.
• Chairman Doyle then discussed how international spectrum developments could impact the U.S. domestic spectrum space. He highlighted how the ITU would soon have leadership elections and expressed his support for Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s candidacy to become the Secretary-General of the ITU. He asked Ms. Stancavage to discuss how the U.S.’s domestic decisions shaped global policies and to address how these decisions ultimately impacted U.S. consumers and companies.
  • Ms. Stancavage commented that these decisions were very impactful.
• Chairman Doyle interjected to acknowledge that his question period time had expired.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH):

• Ranking Member Latta noted how the FCC’s general authority to grant new permits or licenses for the use of spectrum was set to expire on September 30, 2022. He indicated however that the FCC would retain the authority to auction spectrum within the lower 3 GHz band. He asked Mr. Bergmann to identify the spectrum bands currently in the U.S.’s pipeline. He also asked Mr. Bergmann to address how Congress should be approaching the issue of extending the FCC’s authority to make spectrum available for commercial use.
  • Mr. Bergmann noted how the FCC’s spectrum auction authority had never expired during its 30-year existence and called it important for Congress to further extend this authority. He also urged Congress to consider the U.S.’s spectrum pipeline as part of its work to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. He specifically recommended that Congress focus on improving access to mid-band spectrum and highlighted potential work in the 3 GHz, 4 GHz and 7 GHz spectrum bands. 
• Ranking Member Latta then mentioned how he was the co-chair of the Congressional Wi-Fi Caucus. He recounted how the FCC had recently made a “significant” amount of unlicensed spectrum available for Wi-Fi use. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss how Americans made use of both licensed and unlicensed spectrum and to predict the future demand for both types of spectrum.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the demand for any wireless technology would likely continue to increase. She mentioned how Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum currently represented more than half of all internet traffic and noted how most internet traffic was consumed indoors. She commented that this statistic did not undermine the importance of 5G and reiterated that the use of 5G would likely continue to grow. She then predicted that consumer use of licensed and unlicensed spectrum would likely converge. She mentioned how many companies were currently offering fixed 5G offerings that hauled internet traffic through 5G to a base station and had consumers connect their devices via Wi-Fi. She commented that these offerings would benefit U.S. consumers.
• Ranking Member Latta then noted how HTC served both urban and rural environments with a mix of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. He asked Mr. Todd to discuss how HTC identified their spectrum needs and to address how the 2.5 GHz auction would impact rural internet providers.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that mid-band spectrum was important for HTC for propagation and speed and supported scalability in both urban and rural markets. He commented that a lack of access to spectrum technology would adversely impact consumers as the demand for broadband internet continued to grow.
• Ranking Member Latta then noted how Ms. Stancavage had warned that the U.S. might not be leading the world in developing 6G. He asked Ms. Stancavage to provide recommendations for Congress on ensuring that the U.S. was the global leader in developing 6G technology and to discuss the consequences that would result from the U.S. not taking a leadership role in 6G technology.
  • Ms. Stancavage expressed concerns that the U.S. lacked a sense of urgency in working to develop 6G technology by 2030. She commented that this urgency was needed so that the U.S. would remain a global leader in 6G technology.

Full Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ):

• Chairman Pallone raised concerns with how authoritarian regimes (including Russia and China) were using their airways to watch and track their peoples, spread disinformation, and shut down free speech. He asserted that the U.S. and like-minded countries ought to lead in the development and deployment of these technologies so that the U.S.’s public interest principles were at the center of any technological progress. He asked Mr. Guice to discuss how the U.S. could keep the public interest at the forefront of its spectrum policy.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the public interest had long been the driver behind the U.S.’s spectrum policy. He stated that the U.S. must work to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color possessed opportunities to obtain internet connections and that this technology would be open. He called on Congress to address digital equity concerns and commented that spectrum auction revenues could be used to address these concerns.
• Chairman Pallone then discussed the importance of federal agency coordination for supporting a federal spectrum policy that advanced the public interest. He asked Ms. Stancavage to discuss why spectrum coordination was important globally and to address how the U.S. would support such global coordination efforts. He further asked Ms. Stancavage to indicate whether a U.S. national spectrum coordination strategy would be helpful in these efforts.
  • Ms. Stancavage discussed how the components needed to move into new spectrum bands tended to not be readily available. She elaborated that component manufacturers were unlikely to develop these components unless they had certainty that the spectrum bands that necessitated the components would be made available. She remarked that having the U.S. signal which spectrum bands could be opened up would therefore help to begin the development of new wireless technologies. She added that international coordination would further expedite the development of new wireless technologies through spurring necessary components manufacturing.
• Chairman Pallone then stated that the unlicensed uses of U.S. airwaves offered “enormous” social and economic benefits and mentioned a recent report that found that unlicensed spectrum contributed over $79 billion per year in economic value. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss how the U.S.’s failure to free up additional airwaves for unlicensed U.S. would impact consumers and innovators.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that consumers benefited from U.S. leadership in spectrum allocation because this leadership supported product development. He noted how the U.S. was the first country to adopt the unlicensed 6 GHz band and highlighted how the U.S. now had over 200 pieces of equipment that had undergone the certification process (including televisions, access points, laptops, and smartphones). She stated that this certification provided U.S. consumers and innovators with early access to equipment. She also predicted that there was likely to occur more deployment of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices in the unlicensed 6 GHz band. She concluded that unlicensed spectrum was “tremendously important” for U.S. consumers and innovators.

Full Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA):

• Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers mentioned how she had previously raised concerns with the FAA circumventing the established spectrum management process through pressuring wireless carriers to accept more conditions on their spectrum licenses post-auction. She noted how Congress had designated the FCC as the technical expert agency to make spectrum management decisions that were in the public interest and with the necessary authority to work through these types of concerns. She asked Mr. Bergmann to address how Congress could help the U.S. move forward from the recent FAA incident and build trust in the spectrum decision making process.
  • Mr. Bergmann asserted that the federal government’s spectrum management process had broken down during the recent C-band-altimeter debate, which he called unfortunate. He highlighted how the objections to the FCC and NTIA’s determinations came after extensive agency analysis and after stakeholders had already purchased spectrum rights. He stated that the FAA’s action had undermined the FCC’s auction authority and the framework for making spectrum available. He expressed CTIA’s support for efforts to improve spectrum policy coordination across federal agencies and applauded Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel for their spectrum coordination initiative. He also commented that spectrum policy coordination had become more engineering-focused, which he called a positive development. He contended that a “whole-of-government” approach to spectrum policy was important for identifying concerns and planning for priorities. He remarked that the ultimate goal of the U.S.’s spectrum management policy should be to realize the full benefits of 5G.
• Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers then discussed how the Committee had worked to ensure that the U.S.’s communications networks were secure and to support the U.S.’s leadership within the global wireless industry. She stated that the international harmonization of spectrum policy could play an important role in encouraging trusted vendors to align with the U.S.’s economic and security interests. She mentioned that while the U.S. had historically been a leader in identifying spectrum that would soon be made available, she raised concerns that China was seeking to disrupt this leadership. She asked Ms. Brown to provide recommendations for ensuring that the U.S. and trusted allies remained the global leaders in wireless technology.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the U.S. needed to identify spectrum pipeline opportunities and to continue to advance spectrum allocations in support of the largest technology ecosystems (mainly Wi-Fi and 5G). He asserted that taking action and building consensus domestically would provide the U.S. with significant credibility in its interactions with the international community. She commented that the FCC’s 2012 decision regarding the 6 GHz band had led other countries to follow the U.S.’s lead.
• Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers then mentioned how the Trump administration had successfully brought together the FCC, the NTIA, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to establish America’s Mid-Band Initiative Team (AMBIT) to identify and make 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum available for 5G. She asked Ms. Stancavage to address how the U.S. compared to its international counterparts in terms of spectrum availability. She also asked Ms. Stancavage to identify areas of spectrum policy that the U.S. should be thinking about domestically in order to better position the U.S. at the international level.
  • Ms. Stancavage mentioned how the U.S. played a leadership role in making high band spectrum availability and commented that this decision led the international community at the World Radio Conference to follow the U.S.’s lead. She then discussed how standards and technologies were constantly evolving and asserted that the U.S. must build its spectrum pipeline for future technologies.

Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA):

• Rep. McNerney mentioned how he was a co-chair of the Congressional Wi-Fi Caucus and highlighted his advocacy for expanding the availability of unlicensed spectrum and establishing a national spectrum strategy. He asked Mr. Guice to address how Congress could ensure that the unlicensed spectrum was not overlooked as commercial interests pushed for more spectrum availability.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the U.S. needed to make a variety of access regimes available for spectrum. He identified the 7 GHz band as a “great opportunity” for expanding access to unlicensed spectrum. He commented that opening this band up could present “real opportunities” to advance Wi-Fi 6 and help the U.S. evolve into Wi-Fi 7.
• Rep. McNerney then noted how ATIS had stated that the use of AI was the goal for 6G technology. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss how the unavailability of licensed and unlicensed spectrum impacted the U.S.’s ability to compete with other nations in AI.
  • Ms. Brown testified that it was “widely expected” that AI would be used more in 6G networks than it was currently being used in 5G networks. She remarked that the U.S.’s ability to understand the use cases for 6G and how these use cases would impact spectrum allocations would ensure that the U.S. led in innovation in new 6G networks.
• Rep. McNerney asked Ms. Stancavage to indicate whether AI could be used to enhance spectrum utilization and efficiency.
  • Ms. Stancavage remarked that most AI currently being used within the spectrum space was meant to increase network performance. She predicted that the move towards edge computing would result in increased AI applications.
• Rep. McNerney asked Ms. Stancavage to identify the current problems associated with building the next generation of wireless networks that AI could help to address.
  • Ms. Stancavage remarked that AI would most likely improve wireless network performance within the near-term. She stated however that the applications that would ultimately result from AI were unknowable at the current time.
• Rep. McNerney then mentioned how China had implemented mid-band spectrum in the mid-to-upper frequencies of the 4 GHz band. He asked Mr. Bergmann to address how U.S. consumers and businesses would be impacted if other countries continue to innovate their spectrum offerings at a greater pace than the U.S.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that mid-band spectrum was key to 5G because it provided higher capacity and lower latency. He commented that these benefits enabled the U.S. to improve access to wireless services for underserved communities, supported the U.S. in achieving its climate change goals, and supported domestic innovation.

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY):

• Rep. Guthrie mentioned how he was the co-chair of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus and stated that making more spectrum available to non-federal users was critical (especially in light of the deployment of 5G and other wireless technologies). He asked Mr. Todd to discuss how the increased availability of spectrum for commercial use had bolstered U.S. efforts to close the “digital divide.”
  • Mr. Todd remarked that HTC’s cooperative structure meant that it was focused on serving all of its members equally and providing equitable access to services. He stated that broadband expansion had enabled HTC to enter into markets where larger wireless carriers might not have made broadband services available. He testified that HTC had observed firsthand how expanding access to broadband services could improve opportunities in rural communities (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic). He remarked that HTC was focused on the availability and usability of spectrum so that all of its members would be able to quickly access broadband services.
• Rep. Guthrie mentioned how some cooperatives within his Congressional District were also attempting to expand broadband access to underserved areas. He asked Mr. Todd to indicate whether HTC’s broadband access expansion efforts had been focused on areas where the ability to recover investments were not necessarily clear.
  • Mr. Todd testified that HTC’s broadband access expansion efforts had occurred in areas where the cooperative had been unable to recover their investments through traditional mechanisms. He mentioned how HTC had participated in various state and federal funding programs to expand into underserved areas and commented that these programs had been “very beneficial.”
• Rep. Guthrie then mentioned how he had been working on legislation with Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) to reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. He stated that he was working to determine additional spectrum bands that might be ripe for auction. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss the benefits associated with having Congress preserve its authority to direct the FCC to conduct spectrum auctions.
  • Ms. Brown noted that Congress had played a leadership role for 30 years in terms of identifying spectrum bands and providing direction to the FCC about which bands they should make available for auction. She stated that Congress’s leadership role in this space had helped drive consensus across the FCC, the NTIA, and other agencies. She encouraged Congress to direct the FCC on which bands they should make available for auction as part of its reauthorization of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority.
• Rep. Guthrie then expressed support for making certain bands of spectrum available for exclusive use. He stated that spectrum coordination was key for successful spectrum operation sharing regimes. He mentioned how he had introduced the SMART Spectrum Act, which would require the NTIA to establish an incumbent informing capability system for sharing spectrum between federal and non-federal users. He asked Mr. Bergmann to identify the lessons learned from previous spectrum auctions (such as the CBRS and the 3.45 GHz auctions) that Congress should consider in future spectrum policy making efforts.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that the U.S. should leverage all of its tools for making more spectrum available and provide certainty for spectrum users. He testified that CTIA’s member companies had made $30 billion annual investments in licensed access spectrum, which necessitated certainty. He discussed how a major challenge of the CBRS framework was its complexity and stated that market users were more willing to pay for C-band and 3.45 GHz band spectrum than CBRS spectrum because of its exclusive nature.
• Rep. Guthrie interjected to note that his question period time had expired.

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY):

• Rep. Clarke remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic had how providing accessible broadband connectivity in both urban and rural areas was critical for providing essential online resources to underserved and marginalized populations. She noted that these essential online resources included education, work, and health care services. She discussed how many underserved and marginalized communities used mobile devices to participate in online activities (such as virtual learning), which often required high speed network connections that were not always accessible or available. She asked Mr. Guice to address how Congress could ensure spectrum policy decisions made in the public interest do not further entrench inequitable spectrum access for historically underserved communities.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the U.S. needed to focus its spectrum policies on ensuring that historically underserved communities would be able to realize the benefits of new wireless technologies. He suggested that digital literacy promotion efforts could help to ensure that these communities could make use of new wireless technologies. He also highlighted how Congress had sought to drive investments to lower income communities in both urban and rural areas in order to address technological inequities. He further mentioned how Congress had provided the FCC with the authority to look into historical digital discrimination, which he commented would support efforts to reduce technological inequities.
• Rep. Clarke asked Mr. Guice to provide recommendations for how Congress could ensure that underserved communities would have sustained broadband connectivity. She commented that underserved communities often received one-time funding and that the benefits associated with this one-time funding tended to wane over time.
  • Mr. Guice mentioned how there did exist the Universal Service Fund (USF) that provided continued funding to connect underserved communities to telecommunications services. He then recommended that policymakers consider using the funds derived from FCC spectrum auctions to endow a foundation whose focus would be to address the broadband connectivity needs of underserved communities.
• Rep. Clarke asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether Congress should consider ways for spectrum auctions and reallocations to promote digital inclusion and increase access to the affordability of 5G connectivity for unserved and underserved communities.
  • Mr. Guice answered affirmatively.
• Rep. Clarke then discussed how the uses and demand for wireless connectivity and spectrum were continuing to increase rapidly. She stated that the U.S. had made “enormous progress” in releasing spectrum, which had been allocated for both licensed and unlicensed uses. She asked Ms. Brown to indicate whether it was critical for the U.S. to use available spectrum bands as efficiently as possible. She also asked Ms. Brown to address what policymakers should account for when evaluating the best methods for allowing new uses within spectrum bands.
  • Ms. Brown stated that the U.S. should use available spectrum bands as efficiently as possible. She highlighted how the FCC maintained a flexible spectrum licensing program, which allowed for operators to continually upgrade and change out the technology that they used in the licensed spectrum that they had. She asserted that this program provided the U.S. with a “huge” advantage over other countries and stated that policymakers ought to support this approach.
• Note: Rep. Clarke’s question period time expired here.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL):

• Rep. Kinzinger remarked that the U.S.’s coordination of federal spectrum policy had been “subpar” and highlighted how the U.S. had experienced several intergovernmental, inter-industrial, and government-to-industry spectrum disputes. He commented that these disputes undermined the U.S.’s ability to be a global leader in spectrum policy. He then asked Mr. Bergmann to address how Congress could help direct more spectrum to 5G and 6G in light of the growth in demand for spectrum. He also asked Mr. Bergmann to discuss what industry spectrum needs would look like for 6G.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that the Committee should focus on extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority with a defined set of spectrum bands. He asserted that this approach was critical for advancing 5G and addressing coordination issues. He stated that the Committee served as a spectrum policy expert and contended that the Committee should play a leadership role in defining spectrum auctions. He commented that Committee leadership in this area would enable the FCC to move quickly on spectrum auctions and prevent certain coordination problems from arising.

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX):

• Rep. Veasey expressed interest in working to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color could benefit from new wireless technologies. He asked Mr. Guice to elaborate on how the use of a mix of access regimes and the exploration of spectrum opportunities would benefit low-income communities and communities of color as new technologies and services emerge.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that a mix of access regimes ensured that entrepreneurs had the opportunity to access spectrum and spectrum technologies on unlicensed networks without a large upfront payment for spectrum acquisition. He also highlighted how the FCC maintained a policy that required it to structure its auctions in a way that encouraged minority and women-owned businesses to participate. He recommended that the FCC consider how the design of spectrum auctions (particularly in terms of spectrum service areas) might hinder opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.
• Rep. Veasey asked Mr. Guice to provide recommendations for how Congress could ensure equitable access to the next generation of wireless technologies.
  • Mr. Guice highlighted how the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would help to bring increased broadband connectivity to underserved communities. He remarked that the NTIA needed to be “rigorous” in ensuring that states were working to address broadband connectivity disparities between urban and rural areas.
• Rep. Veasey then asked Ms. Stancavage to discuss the initiatives that Intel had taken to educate communities about 5G and other innovative technologies and to recruit high school students and college students of diverse backgrounds to join the technology workforce.
  • Ms. Guice remarked that Intel took the issue of workforce development “very seriously” and mentioned how Intel maintained a variety of workforce development programs. She highlighted how Intel maintained a program that sought to educate young people on AI systems. She further noted how Intel maintained several workforce training programs at the community college level. She called these workforce development programs “absolutely critical” for ensuring the company’s long-term survival.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL):

• Rep. Bilirakis mentioned how CTIA had proposed a national five-year spectrum plan in 2019. He lamented how there had occurred several incidents since 2019 that have demonstrated a lack of coordination among federal agencies with respect to spectrum policy. He mentioned how Australia had maintained a five-year spectrum plan since 2017 and stated that Australia publicly continued to update this plan on a biannual basis. He asked Mr. Bergmann to discuss the current status of the U.S.’s efforts to develop a unified spectrum strategy. He also asked Mr. Bergmann to identify the baseline items that ought to be included within a U.S. spectrum strategy and to indicate whether the U.S. should use Australia’s spectrum plan as a model for its spectrum strategy.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that a national spectrum strategy could help the U.S. to support spectrum auction and planning efforts. He stated that a national spectrum strategy would help the U.S. to identify how spectrum was being used and promote more efficient use. He highlighted how the DoD currently had access to two-thirds of the U.S.’s key mid-band spectrum. He also highlighted how there was currently about 1900 MHz of mid-band spectrum that was unlicensed and between 270 MHz and 450 MHz of mid-band spectrum that was licensed. He further remarked that the Committee could help to bolster the U.S.’s spectrum pipeline as part of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority reauthorization.
• Rep. Bilirakis then called on the FCC and the NTIA to update their MoU on spectrum coordination. He mentioned how the Committee had unanimously advanced the Spectrum Coordination Act, which would direct the FCC and the NTIA to update their MoU on spectrum coordination. He noted how the FCC and the NTIA had put out a press release indicating that they would be working to update the MoU on spectrum coordination on their own. He asked Mr. Bergmann to indicate whether the FCC and the NTIA had made any announcements following their press release regarding the status of their update of their MoU on spectrum coordination.
  • Mr. Bergmann discussed the importance of spectrum policy coordination between federal agencies and expressed CTIA’s support for the Spectrum Coordination Act. He also stated that the FCC and the NTIA should play leadership roles on federal spectrum policy.
• Rep. Bilirakis asked Mr. Bergmann to indicate whether there existed a better way to incorporate federal agencies with shared spectrum or adjacent spectrum in the pre-auction process to avoid potential blunders.
  • Mr. Bergmann noted that the U.S. maintained processes for intergovernmental coordination on spectrum policy and commented that these processes had broken down during the C-band auction. He remarked that there needed to occur a recommitment to these coordination policies so that these concerns would be addressed early and stated that the Committee could support these coordination efforts through providing oversight.

Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA):

• Rep. McEachin mentioned how he had helped to pass the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act into law, which improved the collection of wireline broadband data for creating broadband service maps. He noted however that it was more difficult to collect wireless broadband data. He asked Mr. Guice to address how the U.S. could ensure that it possessed accurate maps regarding which wireless providers served which areas and to discuss the importance of having accurate information.
  • Mr. Guice acknowledged that it was more difficult to conduct wireless broadband mapping than wireline broadband mapping. He lamented how broadband maps were often overly reliant on theoretical propagation characteristics, which resulted in many communities being falsely classified as having broadband internet access. He called it critical that the U.S. get broadband mapping information right as it deploys 5G technology. He commented that there were more opportunities in this process to overlook both urban and rural communities. He recommended that Congress work to ensure that there existed data crowdsourcing opportunities for consumers so that they could challenge and improve the official broadband maps when needed.
• Rep. McEachin then asked Mr. Bergmann to discuss the effectiveness of fixed wireless as a last mile option for rural communities and to address how the U.S. could ensure that spectrum would remain available.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that mobile wireless services were particularly well-suited for helping the U.S. to achieve its universal broadband internet access goals. He applauded the Committee for its focus on technological neutrality in its work to achieve universal broadband internet access. He specifically highlighted how two-thirds of EBB program and ACP participants chose wireless broadband internet options. He also expressed optimism regarding the potential opportunities for fixed wireless for home broadband services and noted how both national and regional broadband internet providers were already investing in fixed wireless services. He stated that fixed wireless services could help to support universal broadband internet access because it could be deployed quickly and more affordably. He added that fixed wireless services would provide consumers with more choices regarding their broadband internet services.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH):

• Rep. Johnson mentioned how he was a co-chair of the Congressional 5G Caucus and expressed interest in identifying additional spectrum opportunities for supporting the swift deployment of the U.S.’s 5G network. He commended FCC Chairman Rosenworcel’s announcement that the FCC would soon commence an auction for the 2.5 GHz band in July 2022. He stated that this auction would make more spectrum available for 5G expansion, especially in rural areas. He mentioned however that the FCC’s spectrum auction authority was set to expire on September 30, 2022. He noted that Congress had never allowed for the FCC’s spectrum auction authority to expire. He asked Mr. Todd to discuss how this looming expiration might impact the preparation of smaller carriers for the July 2022 spectrum auction.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that Congress’s failure to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority would hinder HTC’s participation in the upcoming July 2022 spectrum auction because HTC was less resourced than regional and national carriers.
• Rep. Johnson then highlighted how the recent disagreement regarding C-band spectrum between federal agencies had made national news. He stated that the U.S. needed to ensure that its spectrum licensing system provided more certainty in order to encourage investment in wireless technology. He also stated that federal agencies needed to communicate, collaborate, and fully cooperate in order to ensure that safety issues were being addressed without disrupting the auction process. He highlighted how the recently auctioned C-band spectrum was a non-federal band. He asked Mr. Bergmann to explain how the FAA had inserted itself into the C-band spectrum auction process and to indicate whether the FAA had a formal role in the spectrum reallocation progress.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that the federal government’s spectrum management process had broken down during the C-band-altimeter debate, which caused unnecessary friction. He noted how the rest of the world was able to use their C-band spectrum while offering 5G and safe flights. He discussed how private companies were willing to invest tens of billions of dollars to expand access to wireless technologies, which underscored the importance of having straightforward spectrum management processes. He recommended that the U.S. solicit agency input early on in spectrum auction and allocation processes. He remarked that a key issue during the C-band-altimeter debate was that some aviation equipment listened outside of their spectrum band. He stated that ensuring necessary technology upgrades during the spectrum auction and allocation planning process would enable more efficient uses of spectrum.
• Rep. Johnson noted how the FCC was established by Congress to be the authoritative technical expert on spectrum matters. He expressed concerns that the FAA’s raising of last minute concerns during the C-band-altimeter debate had undermined the public’s trust in the FCC’s spectrum auction process.
  • Mr. Bergmann expressed agreement with Rep. Johnson’s concerns and reiterated that this situation had created “unnecessary friction” for the aviation and wireless industries, as well as for consumers. He stated that every six-month delay in 5G deployment cost the U.S. $25 billion in benefits and called it “absolutely critical” that the U.S. address federal agency coordination issues moving forward.
• Rep. Johnson then highlighted how the FCC’s auction of the C-band spectrum was one of the FCC’s largest spectrum auctions ever conducted. He noted how the remaining 180 MHz from this band would soon be made available. He asked Mr. Bergmann to address how the FCC’s failure to complete the processing of the licenses for the remaining C-band spectrum would impact the telecommunications industry.
  • Mr. Bergmann called it critical for the U.S. to complete both phases of the C-band spectrum auction and allocation process as scheduled. He commented that this auction and allocation were critical for realizing the benefits of 5G.

Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL):

• Rep. Soto called the U.S.’s rollout of 5G a “tremendous accomplishment” and stated that the U.S. needed to address the cellular and aviation concerns that had manifested during this rollout. He expressed support for efforts to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, which was set to expire on September 30, 2022. He stated that the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act of 2022 (which includes the CHIPS for America Act funding) would support the rollout of 5G and the development of future wireless innovations (including 6G). He also expressed interest in streamlining telecommunications with regard to commercial spaceflight and mentioned how he had introduced the Leveraging American Understanding of Next-generation Challenges Exploring Space (LAUNCHES) Act to address this issue. He then called it critical for the FCC and the NTIA to work together to develop positions on international spectrum issues. He commented that this coordination would help support global harmonization efforts, position the U.S. to capitalize on future wireless technologies, and ensure the timely commercialization of products for the U.S. market. He asked Ms. Stancavage to discuss why U.S. international leadership in spectrum policy was important for the U.S.’s economic and security interests.
  • Ms. Stancavage remarked that the U.S. needed to be actively engaged in the international spectrum policy making process so that it could ensure that it possessed the necessary components to capitalize off of new innovations. She commented that this engagement was important for both licensed and unlicensed technologies. She stated that swift and proactive action from the U.S. on international spectrum policy enabled industry stakeholders to build the equipment that would be demanded for spectrum use and achieve economies of scale in this equipment (which would result in cheaper products).
• Rep. Soto then noted how much of the U.S.’s mid-band spectrum was occupied by federal agencies. He asked Mr. Bergmann to provide recommendations for determining which types of spectrum were needed by the government and which types of spectrum could be reallocated.
  • Mr. Bergmann stated that the federal government occupied a disproportionate amount of the U.S.’s mid-band spectrum. He asserted that policymakers ought to work on making the federal government more efficient with its current mid-band spectrum. He discussed how the commercial wireless industry possessed strong incentives to constantly have new generations of technology with greater spectrum efficiency and testified that the industry had increased its spectrum efficiency by 42 times over the previous ten years. He commented that the same incentives did not always exist for the federal government.
• Note: Rep. Soto’s question period time expired here.

Rep. Billy Long (R-MO):

• Rep. Long discussed how spectrum auctions were transparent, fair, and open to all prospective customers and stated that these auctions benefited taxpayers and the federal government. He noted how the money raised from spectrum auctions could support Congressional priorities, including rural broadband deployment. He expressed support for extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority and stated this reauthorization should include language to require certain FCC spectrum auctions. He then mentioned how the FCC was required to auction spectrum in the lower 3 GHz band within the next seven years. He noted how the NTIA was considering ways to relocate incumbent federal government spectrum users and find technical solutions to promote more efficient spectrum use. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss whether the NTIA was able to assess federal agency broadband spectrum assignments and usage. He also asked Ms. Brown to address the importance of having NTIA be able to access such information.
  • Ms. Brown called it “critically important” that the NTIA obtain information about the federal government’s usage of the 3 GHz band because the 3 GHz band was the most important 5G band. She highlighted how the 3 GHz band could be immediately deployed to provide 5G services. She noted how the Spectrum Innovation Act would provide a timeline for the FCC and the NTIA for assessing federal agency usage of mid-band spectrum and flexibility in terms of how they respond to their findings. She expressed support for the Spectrum Innovation Act’s approach to this issue.
• Rep. Long then mentioned how the FCC had launched the Spectrum Horizons proceeding during the Trump administration. He explained that this proceeding had sought comments on how to unleash innovation and new technologies in spectrum above 95 GHz. He asked Ms. Stancavage to predict how these terahertz frequencies would be used and to discuss how the rest of the world was looking at possible uses for this spectrum.
  • Ms. Stancavage discussed how 4G was very human-centric in nature while 5G provided ultra-reliable low latency computing and machine-to-machine computing. She stated that 6G would require very large bandwidths that were very short range to enable features like high accuracy positioning and censor uses. She commented that there thus existed research interest in high frequency bands.

Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ):

• Rep. O’Halleran remarked that making more mid-band spectrum available would be important for the U.S.’s leadership on 5G deployment and for closing the “digital divide” in rural America. He commented that access to spectrum was critical to economic development, telehealth, and education in rural communities. He then noted how the FCC had created Tribal Priority Windows in its recent spectrum auctions in order to support the efforts of tribal governments and tribal communications providers seeking to gain access to spectrum. He asked Mr. Guice to identify additional considerations for Congress for ensuring that tribal communities could obtain the best wireless services possible.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that Congress could promote Tribal Priority Window opportunities when spectrum became available and could work to ensure that tribes possessed sufficient time to apply for these opportunities. He stated that Congress must recognize the sovereignty of tribal nations and ensure that tribal nations have input into spectrum policy. He also suggested that the FCC could look at tribal bidding credits and potential reforms for these credits. He further recommended that the FCC consider the disaggregation of spectrum license areas so that tribal communities could build networks on their lands.
• Rep. O’Halleran then mentioned how over 200 bidders had won over 20,000 licensees in the FCC’s CBRS spectrum auction. He indicated that some tribes participated in this auction and won licenses as part of the auction. He asked Mr. Todd to explain why so many bidders were able to win spectrum as part of the CBRS spectrum auction. He also asked Mr. Todd to identify lessons from the CBRS spectrum auction and to provide recommendations for ensuring that rural providers could meaningfully participate in future spectrum auctions.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that it was critical for smaller providers (like HTC) to have access to smaller license areas so that they could participate in spectrum auctions. He commented that smaller providers tended to have fewer resources. He stated that the ability of small providers to participate in spectrum auctions helped to support consumer choice and competition.
• Note: Rep. O’Halleran’s question period time expired here.

Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA):

• Rep. Carter discussed how Americans had heavily relied upon Wi-Fi during the COVID-19 pandemic for work, school, and other important aspects of their lives. He stated that unlicensed spectrum played a crucial role in enabling Wi-Fi technologies and mentioned how the Trump administration had made an “unprecedented” amount of unlicensed spectrum available for commercial use. He asked Ms. Brown to indicate whether this newly available unlicensed spectrum would be enough to satisfy the increased demand from consumers for data-rich applications.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the newly available unlicensed spectrum would likely not be enough to satisfy consumer demands over the long-term. She discussed how the wireless technology industry was currently releasing new and innovative technologies on the 6 GHz band. She also noted how Wi-Fi 7 would be released in about two years, which would be on the 6 GHz band. She stated however that the U.S. would need to look for other spectrum opportunities if demand for data-rich applications continued to increase. She commented that new technologies, including AR and VR technologies, would spur demand for new spectrum.
• Rep. Carter then asserted that the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), which serves as the research and engineering arm of NTIA, was being underutilized. He mentioned how he had recently introduced the ITS Codification Act, which would provide the ITS with statutory authority to continue its work and would establish an initiative to develop emergency communications and tracking technologies where conventional radio communication was limited. He asked Ms. Brown to discuss why ITS was uniquely positioned to support collaboration on next generation spectrum technologies.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the ITS had a “long and distinguished career” in spectrum sciences. She expressed support for the ITS Codification Act and commented that the legislation would allow for the ITS to work on commercial issuers around spectrum sharing and adjacencies. She attributed many of the late problems that arose during the recent C-band-altimeter debate to the lack of research on altimeter capabilities. She asserted that providing the ITS with more flexibility and funding would help the U.S. to mitigate spectrum allocation issues.
• Rep. Carter then mentioned how his Congressional District included many rural areas and called it important to extend broadband access to these areas. He noted how there would be a fixed component to 5G that would be used to support home broadband services. He asked Mr. Bergmann to indicate whether rural Americans would have access to home broadband services via fixed 5G wireless services.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that fixed wireless services for homes was a key growth area and testified that CTIA’s member companies were investing in these offerings. He projected that CTIA’s member companies would cover over 200 million homes through fixed wireless offerings over the next couple of years. He asserted that fixed wireless could play a key role in expanding access to faster, cheaper, and more competitive broadband internet services.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY):

• Rep. Rice first called it very important for the MoU between the FCC and the NTIA to be fixed. She then discussed the importance of government-industry partnerships in enabling the U.S. to become the global leader in new and emerging wireless technologies. She stated that the emergence of 5G and next generation wireless technologies provided the U.S. with opportunities for growth. She then noted how recent spectrum disputes had involved parties that had questioned the finality of the FCC’s decisions. She asked Mr. Guice to address how Congress could ensure that parties within a given spectrum band would be able to have their input heard early in the spectrum auction and allocation process. She also asked Mr. Guice to address how Congress could ensure that the FCC would be able make final decisions with sufficient credibility to underlay private sector investment and development decisions.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the Congress must ensure that the interagency process for spectrum auctions and allocations was being followed. He stated that the Committee could play an important oversight role in this process, which would support the process’s finality. He highlighted how there did exist a public process for both stakeholder and agency input into spectrum auctions and allocations. He remarked that agencies and stakeholders should fully participate in this process so that the FCC could make evidence-based decisions. He noted how the concerns regarding altimeters had only been raised after the C-band spectrum auction process had been completed, which he called inexcusable. He asserted that the FCC and the NTIA should not allow parties to disrupt their final determinations if the parties had previously been provided with sufficient opportunities to make comments.
• Rep. Rice asked Ms. Brown to explain how disputes over spectrum delayed the deployment of new technologies.
  • Ms. Brown highlighted how disputes had delayed the deployment of spectrum at the top end of the 5 GHz band. She recounted how the FCC had decided that some of this spectrum ought to be made available for Wi-Fi. She noted that the transportation industry was disputing this decision and wanted more of this spectrum available for vehicle communications networking. She stated that an upcoming court decision would determine how this spectrum would be used.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA):

• Rep. Eshoo mentioned how the most recent annual speed test from PC Magazine had found that Verizon and AT&T’s 5G speeds in several cities were comparable or sometimes even slower than their 4G speeds. She also noted how consumers sometimes had to pay more for 5G services through upgrading their devices or service plans. She criticized wireless service providers for advertising faster speeds while delivering lower speeds. She asked Mr. Bergmann to address why Americans were paying more for certain wireless services that offered slower speeds.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that wireless speeds were continuing to increase year-after-year.
• Rep. Eshoo interjected to asked Mr. Bergmann to answer whether he was aware of PC Magazine’s most recent annual speed test.
  • Mr. Bergmann testified that he had not seen PC Magazine’s most recent annual speed test. He reiterated that wireless speeds were continuing to increase and stated that prices for wireless services continued to decrease year-after-year. He called these developments exciting.
• Rep. Eshoo reiterated her concerns that wireless service providers were falsely advertising faster braodband speed offerings. She then expressed agreement with Mr. Guice’s contention that the proceeds derived from spectrum auctions ought to be used to support projects in the public interest. She stated that these proceeds ought to support the NG911 program. She asked the witness to indicate whether they opposed using these proceeds to support the NG911 program, to which no witnesses responded affirmatively. She then expressed support for expanding access to unlicensed spectrum.
• Note: Rep. Eshoo’s question period time expired here.

Rep. John Curtis (R-UT):

• Rep. Curtis first stated that stakeholders ought to provide input at the outset of spectrum auctions and allocations. He then discussed how his Congressional District was very rural and contained Indian reservations. He expressed support for how tribes were being provided with priority access to the 2.5 GHz band. He raised concerns however that supply chain issues could delay the rollout of this band and delay spectrum auctions. He asked Mr. Bergmann to project whether delays were expected in the rollout of the 2.5 GHz band on tribal lands and to identify any potential challenges associated with this rollout.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that tribes faced unique challenges and called on the Committee to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. He then discussed how supply chain challenges were impacting the entire U.S. economy and stated that the Committee should work to address these challenges. He thanked the Committee for its work to support broadband deployment as part of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. He also suggested that the Committee consider siting reforms to enable faster broadband deployment.
• Rep. Curtis asked Mr. Bergmann to comment on how the expiration of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority could impact the U.S.’s 5G rollout.
  • Mr. Bergmann noted how Congress had never allowed the FCC’s spectrum auction authority to expire. He called it critical for the FCC to possess spectrum auction authority so that prospective bidders would have the necessary certainty to make bids.
• Rep. Curtis then asked Mr. Bergmann to discuss how the U.S. could successfully adopt and implement a national spectrum strategy.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that a national spectrum strategy would help to address agency coordination and data sharing issues. He stated the FCC and the NTIA ought to lead the U.S.’s spectrum policy and recommended that the Committee also take a leadership role in guiding federal agencies in terms of implementing spectrum policy.
• Rep. Curtis asked Mr. Bergmann to provide recommendations for balancing commercial and government interests with regard to spectrum policy.
  • Mr. Bergmann asserted that the U.S.’s portfolio of mid-band spectrum was overweighted towards the government and noted how the DoD had access to nearly two-thirds of these frequencies. He remarked that the federal government needed to be more efficient with its mid-band spectrum so that more spectrum could be made available for 5G.
• Rep. Curtis commended that there had occurred significant innovations within the spectrum space.
  • Mr. Bergmann testified that the wireless industry invested tens of billions of dollars annually to develop new generations of technology. He stated that the federal government ought to make similar investments.
• Rep. Curtis then asked Ms. Stancavage to provide recommendations for how Congress could support the U.S.’s preparation efforts for the next World Radio Conference.
  • Ms. Stancavage recommended that Congress support efforts to proactively identify which spectrum bands would be made available and support the commercialization of said bands.
• Note: Rep. Curtis’s question period time expired here.

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA):

• Rep. Matsui remarked that spectrum governance was key to the U.S.’s international competitiveness and called it important for the federal government to not show divisions with regard to its spectrum policy. She stated that the U.S. required a reliable pipeline of spectrum in order to maintain its global leadership position and commented that there were “exciting” opportunities that would come up in the 2.5 GHz and 3 GHz bands. She expressed concerns however that the U.S. did not currently appear to have any spectrum opportunities beyond the aforementioned bands. She stated that the 7 GHz band presented a “meaningful” opportunity to keep the U.S.’s spectrum pipeline strong. She acknowledged that the 7 GHz band contained a large number of federal users and asserted that the U.S. must therefore proceed carefully in opening up this spectrum. She mentioned how she had sent a letter to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson urging the NTIA to complete its 2019 study on the 7 GHz band. She asked Mr. Guice and Mr. Bergmann to describe the characteristics of the 7 GHz band and to address how this band could be put to use to support commercial operations.
  • Mr. Guice recounted how the NTIA and FCC had taken several years to listen to and account for the concerns of federal agencies in order to develop a strategy for utilizing the CBRS band. He discussed how the 7 GHz band contained spectrum used by very sensitive military systems and stated that the NTIA would need to account for the DoD’s concerns before the U.S. could make spectrum within this band available. He commented that the lower part of the 7 GHz band provided opportunities for unlicensed spectrum and added that this band might also present opportunities for licensed spectrum.
  • Mr. Bergmann first thanked Rep. Matsui for her letter to NTIA Administrator Davidson regarding the 7 GHz band. He discussed how the 7 GHz band was a huge band that contained 1300 MHz. He noted that while the 7 GHz band contained important federal systems. He stated that the federal government could be more efficient in terms of its use of the spectrum. He expressed his support for Rep. Matsui’s efforts to make some of the 7 GHz band spectrum available and commented that there existed “real opportunities” for licensed spectrum within this band.
• Rep. Matsui then highlighted how the FCC’s spectrum auction authority was set to expire in September 2022. She asserted that the extension of this authority ought to be done in a bipartisan and swift manner in light of the upcoming 2.5 GHz band auction. She asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether the revenues derived from spectrum auctions should go to support NG911 and other similar programs.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that spectrum auction revenues could be “substantial” and stated that these revenues ought to be put to use to advance the U.S.’s public interest needs. He commented that NG911 constituted such a need. He also suggested that spectrum auction revenues could be used to advance digital equity initiatives.
• Rep. Matsui then asked Mr. Bergmann to address how extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority could increase the likelihood of success for the 2.5 GHz band auction.
  • Mr. Bergmann called spectrum auctions the “bedrock” of the U.S.’s mobile wireless networks (including the 5G network). He stated that spectrum auction bidders required certainty about getting access to spectrum and commented that it would therefore be critical to extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority.

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT):

• Rep. Welch asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether he supported FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel’s proposal to use spectrum auction proceeds to fund NG911 deployment efforts. He also asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether there existed precedent for allocating spectrum auction proceeds to fund public interest projects.
  • Mr. Guice expressed support for FCC Chairman Rosenworcel’s proposal to use spectrum auction proceeds to fund NG911 deployment efforts. He also expressed support for using spectrum auction proceeds to fund public interest projects. He highlighted how Congress had previously used spectrum auction proceeds to fund FirstNet, which meant that the use of such proceeds to fund public interest projects would be precedented.

Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA):

• Rep. Cárdenas discussed how Wi-Fi was the most heavily used wireless technology in the world and noted how consumers, schools, and businesses heavily relied upon the technology. He asked Mr. Guice to identify actions that Congress and the Biden administration could take to support the domestic development of Wi-Fi technology.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the U.S. should continue to provide spectrum access opportunities for Wi-Fi and highlighted the important role that Wi-Fi played in connecting people to broadband services (whether on a 5G network or a fixed network). He also stated that the opening of the 7 GHz band could support domestic Wi-Fi access.
• Rep. Cárdenas asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether he supported the FCC’s recent decision to open up the 5.9 and 6 GHz bands for unlicensed use. He also asked Mr. Guice to identify the next set of spectrum bands that the FCC should consider for supporting unlicensed spectrum use.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that the 7 GHz band offered an opportunity for supporting unlicensed spectrum use. He elaborated that the opening of this band would provide the U.S. with an opportunity to take the 180 MHz channel and increase it to 360 MHz, which he called “critical” for the development and deployment of Wi-Fi 7 technology.
• Rep. Cárdenas asked Mr. Guice to identify actions that policymakers should take to ensure that rural communities, communities of color, and tribal communities were able to fairly access both current and future wireless technologies.
  • Mr. Guice recommended that the Committee support a digital literacy initiative to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color possessed the requisite skills to make use of broadband services (whether wireless or wireline). He also stated that the Tribal Priority Windows in spectrum auctions were important for tribal communities. He further discussed the importance of understanding where broadband service was and was not available. He stated that crowdsourced data would be especially important for ensuring that 5G technology was actually being delivered to both urban and rural areas.
• Rep. Guice asked Mr. Guice to indicate whether a public-private partnership would be needed to ensure equitable and continued access to new wireless technologies.
  • Mr. Guice answered affirmatively. He stated that many underserved communities lacked the same lobbying capabilities as large companies and called it important for the Committee to recognize the needs of these communities.
• Rep. Cárdenas asked Mr. Guice to address whether federal agencies were competing for spectrum with private entities. He highlighted how the DoD possessed a large amount of the U.S.’s spectrum.
  • Mr. Guice remarked that while the federal government needed to possess certain bands of spectrum in order to carry out its functions, he contended that this spectrum could be more efficiently used. He stated that a collaborative process would be needed between federal agencies and the Committee in order to make more bands of spectrum available for commercial use. He commented that more bands of spectrum could be made available via licensed use, sharing, or open access opportunities.
• Note: Rep. Cárdenas’s question period time expired here.

Rep. John Joyce (D-PA):

• Rep. Joyce discussed the important role that spectrum played in ensuring broadband internet connectivity for all Americans. He asked Mr. Todd to address how a national spectrum strategy and increased certainty regarding the spectrum bands that would be made available for auction help to boost regional carrier participation in spectrum auctions.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that having a national spectrum strategy would enable HTC to better prepare for spectrum auctions, which would in turn enable them to more quickly expand access to broadband services for areas in need of such service.
• Rep. Joyce remarked that expanded access to broadband services would be very important for his constituents. He then discussed how there had been a recent focus on making mid-band spectrum available. He asked Mr. Bergmann to discuss how Congress should think about low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum availability as it considered how to best keep the U.S.’s spectrum pipeline full.
  • Mr. Bergmann called on the Committee to move forward with a series of directed auctions to create a pipeline of mid-band spectrum for both 5G and 6G. He stated that there were candidate bands for this mid-band spectrum pipeline, including the lower 3 GHz, 4 GHz, and 7 GHz bands.
• Rep. Joyce asked Mr. Todd to discuss how HTC used its spectrum across various bands to serve rural Americans.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that having additional spectrum enabled HTC to expand access to broadband services to rural communities. He highlighted the importance of hotspots and mobility services for these areas given how technicians could often not connect wirelessly to these areas. He stated that increasing access to spectrum would enable HTC to provide broadband access quicker, provide more reliable broadband access, and serve more areas with broadband access.
• Rep. Joyce mentioned how FCC Chairman Jessica Rosneworcel had recently announced that the FCC would begin a spectrum auction of different bands this summer. He asked Mr. Todd to identify the specific benefits that this auction would make available to rural Americans.
  • Mr. Todd remarked that the rollout of additional bands of spectrum would enable consumer choice and competition.

Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL):

• Rep. Kelly expressed hope that the FCC and the NTIA’s renewed commitment to cooperation would help to prevent future public conflicts regarding spectrum usage. She remarked that the U.S. must maintain its leadership position in deploying advanced wireless technologies. She noted how Ms. Stancavage had discussed the importance of informing developers about which spectrum bands might be important for U.S. technology leadership. She asked Ms. Stancavage to address the spectrum decisions that would need to be made at both the international and national levels so that companies could begin to invest in semiconductor chips to support future generations of Wi-Fi, 5G, and successive wireless technologies.
  • Ms. Stancavage remarked that companies needed to possess the relevant components in order to make use of newly available spectrum bands. She stated that Intel worked to understand the international spectrum environment in order to make informed product development decisions. She testified that Intel had completed its analysis of upcoming 5G market demands in September 2015, which was four years before the international community adopted official policies on 5G. She commented that this proactive analysis was critical for ensuring that Intel could meet future global demands. She expressed Intel’s interest in ensuring that the U.S. would be able to proactively plan for 6G deployment.
• Rep. Kelly asked Ms. Brown to address the importance of strong and consistent U.S. leadership on spectrum issues for Cisco Systems.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the U.S. leadership played a “crucial” role on unlicensed spectrum issues outside of the ITU process. She mentioned how numerous countries were following the U.S.’s actions to open up the 6 GHz band.
• Rep. Kelly remarked that there would be increased demand from consumers and businesses for spectrum and that the U.S. needed to proactively prepare for this increased demand. She commented that this increased demand would necessitate making more spectrum available for licensed and unlicensed use. She asked Ms. Brown to identify the spectrum bands that would need to be made available first to allow for the rapid deployment of advanced wireless technologies.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that the U.S. needed to first complete the 2.5 GHz auction, which necessitated Congressional reauthorization of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. She then recommended that the NTIA, the FCC, and constituent federal agencies examine the lower 3 GHz band. She emphasized that this spectrum was very important in 5G networks globally. She then discussed how there were other spectrum bands that could be opened in the future, including the 4 GHz and 7 GHz bands.

Rep. Tim Walberg (D-MI):

• Rep. Walberg mentioned how he was a co-chair of the Congressional 5G Caucus and remarked that the Committee should work to educate members of Congress and their staffs about the opportunities presented by future generations of wireless networks. He stated that 5G and successor technologies would help to connect rural communities (including those within his Congressional District) to broadband services. He called it imperative for the U.S. to focus on 5G issues both domestically and abroad. He then discussed the importance of ensuring that the U.S.’s spectrum pipeline would not be empty following the upcoming 2.5 GHz auction. He asked Mr. Bergmann to identify spectrum bands that would be good candidates for future 5G use and to provide recommendations for Congress to support the identification of such bands.
  • Mr. Bergmann remarked that the lower 3 GHz band was critical for supporting 5G and highlighted how dozens of countries were already making use of this band. He also recommended that the Committee consider opening up part of the 7 GHz band for commercial license use. He acknowledged that there were federal agencies currently making use of the band and stated that federal agencies could be more efficient in their use of the band. He further mentioned how some Asian countries were making use of the 4 GHz band and suggested that the U.S. consider the feasibility of using this band. He lastly remarked that Congress should provide a defined set of spectrum auctions in its upcoming extension of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority.
• Rep. Walberg then discussed how U.S. leadership in international settings would allow for the U.S. to shape 5G policies that would benefit American companies and consumers. He asked Ms. Stancavage and Ms. Brown to address how U.S. participation in international regulatory processes could be improved to help the U.S. take the lead in expanding spectrum for 5G and subsequent technologies.
  • Ms. Stancavage discussed how there existed industry-led standards bodies and international regulatory bodies. She stated that industry-led standards bodies were more focused on technical capabilities and were composed of technical experts. She stated that international regulatory bodies (such as the ITU) were more focused on spectrum policy issues. She called it important for the U.S. to understand its current spectrum pipeline so that it could more effectively advocate for its spectrum policy priorities at the ITU.
  • Ms. Brown remarked that international technology standards policies were developed and considered by a variety of international bodies and called it critical that the U.S. take leadership roles in these bodies. She mentioned how the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) was an industry-led standards body that developed standards for Wi-Fi. She also highlighted how the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) played a key role in developing Wi-Fi standards given how a significant part of the world followed the body’s standards. She remarked that leadership at IEEE had played a key role in influencing many ETSI policy decisions.