Spectrum

Satellite Technology Could Boost Competition in FCC Spectrum Auction

By Saara Khan Satellite Technology Could Boost Competition in FCC Spectrum Auction For decades, terrestrial telecommunications providers have dominated the market for wireless spectrum. But as satellite companies develop technology capable of connecting directly to ordinary smartphones, the FCC’s next spectrum auction could attract a new class…

Satellite streamlining bill advances in House Commerce Committee

By James Erwin It is a consensus repeated so often among our nation’s intelligentsia as to be overwhelming: America needs to build. We need to build more and faster than we have in decades and remove those bottle necks in permits, reviews, and applications that have inhibited projects…

FCC Creates “Licensing Assembly Line” for Space

By Blake Reed America’s commercial space sector is moving at rocket speed, but for years one of the biggest bottlenecks has been the Federal Communications Commission’s own satellite licensing process. That is finally starting to change. On July 1, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that…

Wireless Service Keeps Getting Cheaper: Americans Are Getting More for Less

By Blake Reed There’s some welcome relief for American pocketbooks: wireless service continues to buck the trend of rising costs, delivering dramatically better value year after year. Along with broadband, prices for wireless phone service continue to decline thanks to robust competition, market-driven spectrum policy, and a…

11 Straight Years of Better Service at Lower Real Cost

By Blake Reed Good news for American families: broadband is one of the few things in the economy that keeps getting cheaper and better. According to the latest 2026 USTelecom Broadband Pricing Index (BPI), real (inflation-adjusted) prices for popular home internet plans fell again in…

FCC Poised to Modernize Satellite Spectrum

By Blake Reed On April 8, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the Federal Communications Commission will vote on April 30 for a new Report and Order to update spectrum-sharing rules for satellite broadband. The goal is to replace rigid 1990s-era regulations with…

Some Republican Senators want to renege on their reconciliation spectrum deal

By James Erwin The Big Beautiful Bill’s spectrum provisions were a historic victory for free market telecommunications policy. A record 800 MHz of spectrum was mandated for auction, the largest pipeline ever. But it could all be for naught if a provision of the Senate-passed National Defense…

How First Responders Communicate

By Rohan Naval As Congress resumes session, lawmakers are approaching a crossroads that will have immense impacts on telecommunications. Congress will soon scrutinize a program that first responders nationwide use to communicate. The First Responder Network Authority, commonly referred to as FirstNet, was created after the 9/11 Commission…

The Senate should confirm Arielle Roth to lead NTIA  

By Andrew Gins On February 3, 2025, President Trump nominated Arielle Roth to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Roth is extremely well-qualified for the role given her experience in the field of Broadband policy and work for the FCC. Other supporters of her nomination include…