Digital Progress Institute proposes FCC spectrum auction notice to meet 2028 deadline

Initiating the notification process now is critical for securing the mid-band spectrum necessary for 6G and high-capacity wireless video delivery. If the FCC waits for federal studies to conclude before issuing a notice, the 18-month statutory clock will likely push commercial auctions past the 2028 target, stalling infrastructure deployment. This regulatory maneuver allows the NTIA to continue technical sharing studies while simultaneously keeping the U.S. on track to meet growing commercial demand for bandwidth-intensive applications like AI and robotics. Watch for the FCC to issue a formal letter to the NTIA regarding the 1675-1695 MHz band as the first signal of this dual-track strategy.

The Digital Progress Institute's proposal arrives amid a broader push to accelerate U.S. spectrum availability for commercial wireless. In March 2025, the FCC adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking to open the 7.125-7.4 GHz band for licensed commercial use, a move that signaled the commission's willingness to pursue upper-mid-band spectrum even while federal incumbents still occupy portions of the band. That proceeding, which targets spectrum adjacent to the 6 GHz Wi-Fi allocation, demonstrates the FCC's current posture of initiating commercial processes before federal studies fully conclude, a posture consistent with the Digital Progress Institute's recommendation to trigger the 18-month NTIA notification clock now rather than waiting.

On the legislative side, Congress has been pressing for a unified spectrum pipeline. The Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2025, introduced in the Senate in May 2025, directed the NTIA to identify at least 1,000 MHz of spectrum suitable for commercial auction by 2030 and required coordination between the FCC and NTIA on sharing studies. The bill's sponsors, including Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Maria Cantwell, framed the legislation as necessary to maintain U.S. leadership in wireless against China's aggressive mid-band deployment timeline. Joel Thayer's proposal to notify the NTIA on four specific bands aligns with this legislative framework but adds urgency by targeting the 2028 deadline rather than the broader 2030 horizon.

Technical feasibility questions remain the primary friction point. The 1675-1695 MHz band, which the Digital Progress Institute identifies as a candidate for early notification, is currently used by federal weather satellites operated by NOAA. A 2024 NTIA study concluded that coexistence between commercial 5G and federal satellite operations in that band would require significant guard-band separation, potentially limiting usable bandwidth. Meanwhile, the 3.45-3.55 GHz band, which the FCC auctioned in 2022, has seen limited carrier uptake, with T-Mobile and AT&T both deprioritizing the band in their 2025 network buildout plans in favor of C-band and 2.5 GHz holdings. That commercial hesitancy underscores why the Digital Progress Institute emphasizes initiating the process early: even after auction, carriers need certainty about interference protections and equipment ecosystems before committing capital.