FCC chairman says spectrum auctions could raise over $100 billion

Maya Lindstrom · 2026-09-17T12:20:40.873Z

Spectrum sales like this could finally expand broadband access in rural areas if smaller providers get a real shot.

FCC chairman says spectrum auctions could raise over $100 billion — © IJR

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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday that planned U.S. spectrum auctions could generate more than $100 billion. In July the FCC voted to auction 160 megahertz of Upper C-Band spectrum in 2027 and formally notified three more auctions aimed at completion by the end of 2028. Carr said interest now extends past AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, which provide nearly all U.S. mobile service. "We're seeing real response in the market in ways that we didn't see just a couple of years ago," he said. More competition, he added, "drives prices down for consumers" and "raises money for the Treasury." The FCC in May approved EchoStar's $40 billion spectrum sale to SpaceX; AT&T and Verizon's 2024 deal to buy U.S. Cellular spectrum assets was valued at $1 billion. Last week the FCC moved to open more spectrum for space-based broadband after earlier clearing SpaceX to deploy thousands more satellites for speeds up to 1 gigabit per second. On Friday the Trump administration said it was setting groundwork for multiple 6G auctions in 2028. CTIA reported Americans used 159.3 trillion megabytes of data in 2025, 20 percent more than in 2024.

FCC chairman says spectrum auctions could raise over $100 billion

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