U.S. Senator Urges Caution on Spectrum Auction Plans

Warning that a proposal to auction off portions of the spectrum could jeopardize aviation safety, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to coordinate with the Department of Defense on frequency management.

Included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the budget reconciliation package, the measure would call for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to identify at least 600 megahertz (MHz) between the 1.3 gigahertz (GHz) and 10 GHz frequencies to auction by 2034 and at least 200 MHz within three years. The measure would provide an exception for the band of frequencies between 3.1 GHz and 3.45 GHz and between 5.925 GHz and 7.125 GHz. Today, the committee is slated to consider its budget reconciliation package.

Concerned that some of the spectrums discussed for auction could abut key frequencies used by aviation and weather sources, Cantwell wrote to Duffy on Monday, asking a series of questions about the plans for coordination and the consideration of the impacts on aviation safety.

“Because the safety and effectiveness of the National Airspace System depends on the FAA managing radar, navigation, and safety-critical systems on airplanes, decisions to repurpose federal spectrum must be taken only after the department, the FAA, and industry have validated that any transition can proceed without jeopardizing aviation safety,” said Cantwell, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee.

She was particularly concerned about proposals to auction frequencies in the upper C-band, next to where aircraft and helicopter radio altimeters operate.

“Proceeding to auction the entire upper C-band, without coordination with or concurrence from DOT, FAA, and the aviation industry, risks a repetition of the 2021 5G C-Band rollout, when the FAA was forced to issue emergency airworthiness directives, institute flight restrictions around airports nationwide, and nearly ground all commercial flights across the country,” she noted. “These disruptions cost air carriers an estimated $2.1 billion and disrupted passenger travel across the nation. Given the efforts you are undertaking to improve aviation safety, we cannot risk another disaster.”

She also pointed to proposals surrounding the 1780 to 1850-MHz band, which contains FAA spectrum assignments for airborne telemetry and data links. And, Cantwell noted, some have proposed auctioning the 2700 to 2900-MHz band, used for airport surveillance radars, terminal Doppler weather radars, and NOAA’s Nexrad weather radar. “Any disruption to these systems would have direct and dire consequences for aviation and public safety.”