FCC opens Upper C-band Auction 115 for 160 MHz of spectrum

This auction provides the necessary mid-band capacity to sustain high-bitrate video streaming and fixed wireless access (FWA) as consumer demand scales. By unifying the Upper C-band with existing holdings, the FCC creates a contiguous 440 MHz block, significantly reducing the throughput bottlenecks that currently limit 4K mobile delivery. For the streaming ecosystem, this ensures that the infrastructure can support the transition from HD to UHD mobile standards without compromising latency. Watch the August 24, 2026, comment deadline for industry pushback on transition costs or bidding credit caps.

The announcement follows the restoration of the FCC's general spectrum auction authority via the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA), signed into law in July 2025. Per Wiley Law (July 2025), this legislation reinstated the agency's ability to host auctions through September 2034, ending a lapse that began in March 2023. The OBBBA specifically mandated the auction of at least 100 MHz in the Upper C-band within two years of its enactment, directly catalyzing the current Auction 115 proceedings. Industry leaders including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have already invested heavily in lower mid-band frequencies, with Auction 107 in 2021 generating a record $81 billion. According to Fierce Network (July 2025), these carriers are now focused on 5G Standalone (SA) deployments, which use C-band spectrum to enable network slicing—a technology critical for prioritizing low-latency video traffic for live sports and gaming. T-Mobile, for instance, reported reaching 300 million Americans with its mid-band coverage by late 2023 and has since transitioned to a standalone-first activation policy as of January 2026. Aviation safety remains a logistical hurdle for Upper C-band integration. Per Vertical Aviation International (August 2026), auction winners will be required to finance rebates for aircraft radio-altimeter retrofits through a dedicated clearinghouse. This process, overseen by the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, is intended to prevent interference with critical flight systems in the adjacent 4.2-4.4 GHz band, with the first phase of retrofits and subsequent wireless service activations expected to materialize by December 2030.