“I am going to free up plenty of SPECTRUM for auction, so Congress must put 600 MHz in “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,” the President posted on Truth Social.
Trump’s post comes as lawmakers are pushing for more spectrum to boost the country’s connectivity.
The One Big, Beautiful Bill the President refers to is his administration’s central budget proposal, which finds itself in a state of limbo as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle squabble over healthcare issues and tax deductions.
The budget includes provisions that would auction off spectrum licences next year and 600 MHz for mobile or fixed broadband, with the latter move potentially raising $88 billion according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
The fate of the budget rests on the Republicans’ slim majority in the House, with Democrats set to oppose the bill. Just a handful of votes from Republicans could derail the budget, with the President himself descending on Capitol Hill to talk to lawmakers in a bid to keep them onside.
“Let’s make sure all options are on the table,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “Never bet against American Ingenuity.”
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr joined the President’s call to action, saying in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “America must continue to lead the world in wireless. Doing so is vital to our economic growth and national security.”
“Freeing up these airwaves in the 'The One, Big, Beautiful Bill,' as POTUS calls for, will generate many billions of dollars for federal priorities, drive down prices for consumers, and secure America’s global leadership.”
Since taking over at the FCC, Carr has pushed for more spectrum, bemoaning the Biden administration over what he claimed was too much analysis on the impacts of potential sales.
Under Carr, the agency is actively looking into opening up additional portions of C-band spectrum, ranging from 3.98 to 4.2 GHz for more intensive applications, and expanding millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum through new sharing rules for the lower 37 GHz band.
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