7/9 Public Interest Organizations Letter to Capitol Hill On C-Band Use For Rural Broadband

Public interest coalitions including rural, consumer, education, and high-tech company advocates sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling on lawmakers to ensure that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) plan to reallocate spectrum in the 3700 to 4200 MHz band (the C-Band) benefits consumers and rural Americans.

The letter opposes a private auction and windfall for foreign satellite operators that never paid for the spectrum. Instead, the letter states, C-band offers “Congress a unique opportunity to direct $10 billion or more in auction revenue to pay for broadband infrastructure in underserved areas and to authorize the use of spectrum in that band for high-capacity fixed wireless service in rural and less densely populated areas on a shared basis.”

The nonprofits signing the letter include four coalitions representing rural broadband advocates (Broadband Connects America), high-tech companies (Dynamic Spectrum Alliance), schools and other community anchor institutions (Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition), and consumer and civil rights advocates (Public Interest Spectrum Coalition).

The letter urges Congress to direct the FCC to conduct a public auction, to designate the expected $10 to $30 billion in revenue to close the rural and low-income broadband divide, and to direct the FCC to authorize shared access to the unused C-band spectrum needed to bring high-speed broadband to rural areas. Identical letters are addressed to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The letter states: “The combination of dedicating public auction revenue to support rural infrastructure and authorizing shared access to unused mid-band spectrum for use by small and rural operators is the most promising way to close the rural digital divide, promote competition, and make 5G more available and affordable for all Americans.”