‘Oh, Say Can You C’

This week marks 250 years of independence for our great nation. At the FCC, we're not only celebrating this historic milestone, we are charting a course to ensure America's leadership well into the future. With a packed agenda for our July 22 Open Meeting, we're announcing a big new spectrum auction, supercharging our Space Bureau efforts, protecting consumers, and strengthening our national security.

First up, we will vote on an order that adopts rules for the auction of 160 MHz of prime, mid-band spectrum in the Upper C-Band. President Trump moved quickly to sign legislation that restored the FCC's spectrum auction authority and directed the agency to move with unprecedented speed. That is exactly what the FCC has done. We will hold this auction on schedule next year. That's a big deal.

In fact, this will be the first auction of new, commercial spectrum in 5 years, and represents the fastest the FCC has ever moved from an NRPM to Order in the 5G era. This action will expand access to valuable mid-band spectrum for next-generation wireless services and increase speeds for consumers all while maintaining strong protections for aviation safety. This auction will also raise billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury. The FCC could only reach this result thanks to the close collaboration with many stakeholders, including the FAA.

Next, we will be considering an order that modernizes the FCC's satellite and earth station licensing processes. These reforms will create a faster, more predictable "licensing assembly line," enhance space safety, and remove outdated regulations to support America's growing commercial space economy. This puts into action our long-term vision for accelerating the Space Bureau's work.

Then, we will be considering an order that refocuses the FCC's broadband nutrition labels to ensure consumers have access to the clear, accurate, and concise information about broadband plans that they want-making the labels a more useful shopping tool. The item aims to minimize some of the confusion and frustration that consumers have had with the labels since the initial rules were adopted in 2024.

Next, we will be considering a further notice of proposed rulemaking that strengthens the FCC's Robocall Mitigation Database. It does so by enhancing the protections that prevent bad actors from gaining access to the RMD and transmitting illegal calls on the U.S. voice network. The item is another step in our efforts to combat scammers and fraudsters while restoring trust in voice communications. We are tackling illegal calls at every point in the call path.

Finally, we will be considering an order and further notice to bolster our Covered List rules to protect Americans from electronic devices that have been determined to pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States. We'll be adopting rules to close a loophole that allowed devices with components from Covered List entities to continue to be sold in the U.S., enhancing our oversight over e-commerce sales, and proposing to fully modernize the FCC's equipment authorization process.

These actions reflect the FCC's commitment to speed, simplicity, security, and spectrum abundance. So as the Commission prepares to act at its July Open Meeting, we are laying the groundwork within this sector of the economy for the nation's continued success. Happy Fourth and Happy 250th America!