NTIA and FCC Chiefs Tout Unified Spectrum Expansion Effort at CTIA Event

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2026 – Federal regulators on Wednesday pointed to renewed momentum on spectrum policy and auctions after what they described as years of stagnation.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Administrator Arielle Roth and Federal Communications Commission ChairmanBrendan Carr outlined a coordinated push to free up 800 megahertz of federal spectrum for commercial use by 2034 to support wireless 6G, satellite services, and emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

Their remarks came at a summit hosted by wireless association CTIA, which brought together tech leaders from AT&T, Ericsson, Intel, Nvidia, T-Mobile, Verizon, and more.

Roth highlighted what she called a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to support American wireless leadership following a congressional mandate directing NTIA to identify 500 megahertz of federal spectrum for auction within five years, with 200 megahertz required within two years.

Updates on the spectrum pipeline

Roth provided several updates on NTIA’s spectrum pipeline.

“In March, NTIA formally notified the FCC that we had identified our first five megahertz of spectrum in the L-band, 1675 to 1680 megahertz, and that we are also studying the next 15 megahertz, 1680 to 1695, including potentially for satellite direct-to-device use,” Roth said.

“We're moving quickly on the remaining 15 megahertz. The pipeline plan has been sent to Congress, and with just 34 days to go in the required 60-day review window, agencies will soon have access to the funding necessary to study how to repurpose this ban.”

Even with renewed momentum, Roth emphasized the process can be slow due to statutory requirements.

NTIA must navigate a series of statutory requirements tied to the Spectrum Relocation Fund, including agency planning, technical review, budget approval, and a congressional notification period before funding can be released for spectrum studies and relocation work.

She pointed to directives from President Donald Trump to study key bands, including 7 GigaHertz (GHz), 2.7 GHz, and 4 GHz, for potential reallocation.

Roth said work was underway on the 7 GHz band, with a final report expected by December.

For the 2.7 GHz band, relocation plans have cleared key review steps, positioning the band for potential auction.

Roth said the 4 GHz band was also advancing, with nine agency plans under review.

To improve visibility into federal spectrum policy, Roth announced the launch of spectrum.gov, a centralized portal for tracking spectrum pipeline activity and policy developments.

“It brings all of NTIA resources for federal spectrum managers, policymakers and industry under one easy to navigate website when we're transparent about our work. It raises the bar for delivering results,” Roth said.

Internationally, Roth stressed the importance of U.S. engagement ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027, including recent bilateral meetings in Geneva and coordination through the International Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations.

“We are on the right path, and we’re moving with urgency to cement American technology leadership,” she said.

FCC chair ties spectrum push to AI

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the FCC was “on the cusp” of launching its first spectrum auction in roughly four years, an AWS-3 reauction.

He said the agency was also targeting an upper C-band auction in 2027 and potential additional auctions in 2028.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr (left) with CTIA CEO Aji Pai at CTIA's Wireless and AI Summit on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, by Amanda Joy/Sandstone Creative Ecosystems.

Carr said the FCC’s restored auction authority was allowing it to restart a long-delayed process. He said the U.S. had previously been “putting capacity to use” without bringing enough new spectrum to market to meet rising demand.

“We weren’t ready for the massive uptick in data that AI is driving right now,” he said.

“President Trump [has] been very clear that he wants the United States to lead the world in AI. It's one of the reasons why we have to bring this massive 800 mega-pipeline,” he said.

“And, we want AI to be mobile,” Carr said, predicting a huge surge in wireless mobile data. “We also want to be supportive more broadly of the infrastructure necessary to build out AI,” he mentioned data centers.

“AI is going to be vitally important to our future. We're going to deliver,” Carr said.

The same law that requires NTIA to identify additional federal spectrum also directs the FCC to bring more licensed airwaves to market, including auctioning at least 100 megahertz of upper C-band spectrum by mid-2027.