Airwaves of Power: Why the Pentagon Should Shift to a Commercial-First Spectrum Model
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- Pentagon controls 93% of mid‑band frequencies below 3.1 GHz, leaving commercial users only 3% exclusive access.
- One Big Beautiful Bill Act mandates a 100 MHz auction in the AWS‑3 band (1.7–2.1 GHz) and a study of possible federal relocations, including the Defense Department.
- Congress approved just 800 MHz of new mid‑band spectrum, far short of the 2,500 MHz pipeline requested by the wireless industry.
- China’s 5G rollout is cited as a benchmark, pressuring the U.S. to modernize its spectrum to stay competitive.
- India’s rapid 5G deployment and allied procurement needs are used to argue for a commercial‑first spectrum model.
Why it matters: The Pentagon will retain critical bands but cede 100 MHz to commercial bidders, boosting U.S. wireless capacity and allied device markets while the defense sector loses exclusive use of that slice, accelerating dual‑use tech development.
