News WiFi 6e, FCC, Trump, Ted Cruz - unlicensed spectrum loss

[sfx2000]

Not sure if anyone noticed - Ted Cruz (R-Texas) added an amendment to Trump's Big Beautiful Bill that removes 800 MHz of public unlicensed spectrum to auction off to the Wireless Telecom carriers...

As of July 2025, Senator Ted Cruz has been a central figure in a legislative effort that could significantly impact the future of 6 GHz Wi-Fi in the United States.
Specifically, Senator Cruz championed a provision in a recent budget reconciliation bill which mandates the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to auction off a substantial amount of spectrum for licensed use.

Here's a breakdown of the key elements:

• House vs. Senate Versions: The House of Representatives initially passed a version of the bill that protected the 6 GHz band from these auctions.
• Cruz's Provision: However, Senator Cruz's version, which ultimately passed both the Senate and the House and was signed into law, removed this protection for the 6 GHz band.
• Focus on Non-Federal Spectrum: The Cruz language requires the FCC to find 300 MHz of non-federal spectrum to auction, with 100 MHz specifically from the C-Band, leaving the remaining 200 MHz to be identified from other sources.
• Potential Impact on Wi-Fi: Critics argue that this requirement could lead the FCC to allocate some or all of the 6 GHz band currently used for Wi-Fi 6E (and planned for Wi-Fi 7) to licensed cellular carriers, potentially hurting Wi-Fi speeds and hindering the growth of next-generation Wi-Fi technologies.
• Concerns about Future Wi-Fi: Without access to the entire 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 7's ability to achieve significantly faster speeds, support more devices, and prioritize lag-sensitive applications (like virtual reality) could be compromised.

Same goes for CBRS - which is the 3.5GHz band, which, perhaps is less important to some, but still significant...

Link below around the CBRS mess... - remember - CBRS is shared licensed/unlicensed here...

Proposed wireless spectrum auction would crush innovation, industry claims in letter to lawmakers | StateScoop

Wireless internet service providers said a proposal to auction off spectrum in the 3.5 gigahertz band would have "far-reaching negative consequences for innovation."

statescoop.com

 

[sfx2000]

I should note - this is now the law now here in the US - those 800MHz are now not going to be available for unlicensed use for WiFi.

Spectrum Management is one of the roles of the FCC, and proposals are supposed to be on the docket for public comment at the FCC.

@thiggins - I'm not trying to be political here, just passing information.

 

[sfx2000]

Yes - I'm furious about this item... we've gone from one of the global leaders here to what some would consider pay to play corruption...

Much like the spectrum grab down in 900MHz by NextNav to basically take over 15Mhz of spectrum there - they claim it's for terrestrial Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) seasoned with a bit of National Security...

See Meshtastic's Comment here...

 

[user114514]

The world is changing so fast. Only a month ago I read that Intel tried to convince the FCC to open up 7.250GHz, and now it's all going to come to nothing.

I would like to know what is the fate of models like the BE98 Pro with a dedicated 6GH? Will those already sold be considered illegal radios?

 

[sfx2000]

The world is changing so fast. Only a month ago I read that Intel tried to convince the FCC to open up 7.250GHz, and now it's all going to come to nothing.

I would like to know what is the fate of models like the BE98 Pro with a dedicated 6GH? Will those already sold be considered illegal radios?

I don't think existing devices would be considered illegal as they were legal when certified and sold into the market...

One consideration perhaps is that the FCC has turned political with Trump - and this does not end well for the unlicensed spectrum commons...

As I mentioned earlier - they were strong on the tech, and focused on the common good - things obviously have changed...

 

[NoLight]

I don't think existing devices would be considered illegal as they were legal when certified and sold into the market...

One consideration perhaps is that the FCC has turned political with Trump - and this does not end well for the unlicensed spectrum commons...

As I mentioned earlier - they were strong on the tech, and focused on the common good - things obviously have changed...

Could they not require OEMs to release firmware updates to devices that are not EoL which would disable that part of the spectrum if in the US?

 

[user114514]

This means that the extra radio of the BE98 Pro becomes silicon dross (due to the filter, the 6GH cannot become part of the 6GL to extend MIMO)
Since the regulatory restrictions on ASUS Broadcom devices are basically an unlocked door, I fear that in the worst case scenario there will be restrictions on enabling ssh and flashing unofficial firmware.

 

[Paliv]

All US regulation has become politicized and anti consumer. Realistically I think the FCC is a lost cause for consumers. Pay to play is the new rule. I say this as a federal employee, at least for today…

 

[sfx2000]

Could they not require OEMs to release firmware updates to devices that are not EoL which would disable that part of the spectrum if in the US?

Who knows - at present, the 6e freqs have incumbent users already in-band, even before FCC opened it up for unlicensed use...

One can hope perhaps, that there are still capable and competent staff at the FCC that can provide guidance for this problem...

 

[sfx2000]

All US regulation has become politicized and anti consumer. Realistically I think the FCC is a lost cause for consumers. Pay to play is the new rule. I say this as a federal employee, at least for today…

See what happened for T-Mobile US to get their proposed mergers passed... also CBS basically paying ransom for the Paramount merger.

 

[sfx2000]

This means that the extra radio of the BE98 Pro becomes silicon dross (due to the filter, the 6GH cannot become part of the 6GL to extend MIMO)
Since the regulatory restrictions on ASUS Broadcom devices are basically an unlocked door, I fear that in the worst case scenario there will be restrictions on enabling ssh and flashing unofficial firmware.

It might not be that bad - if they restrict WiFI to indoor only use, it could still be allowed perhaps, as punching thru walls is a challenge the higher you go in frequency.

We also know from past experience that if you have WiFi and a 3GPP 4g/5g operating at the same frequency, 3GPP will basically own the channel due to the scheduled MAC layer that 3GPP uses.

Let's wait and see - there's been significant investment for WiFi in the 6e band, from R&D to end-users, so there's bound to be some level of compromise for the installed base.

 

[bluzfanmr1]

See what happened for T-Mobile US to get their proposed mergers passed... also CBS basically paying ransom for the Paramount merger.

You said above you weren't going to be political.

 

[thiggins]

Please stick to technology. Leave politics for other forums.