As a second Donald Trump administration formulates its objectives for the next four years, it should use this opportunity to prioritize resetting telecom policy from the ground up. Specifically, the Trump administration should use this time to restore the Federal Communications Commission auction authority, build a spectrum pipeline, streamline government programs, rescind counterproductive rulemakings, and embrace a technology-neutral approach to broadband deployment.
With so much to do, the Trump administration must focus. Priority one should be pushing to restore the FCC’s auctioning authority, which allows it to auction electromagnetic spectrum licenses to commercial providers. Congress mistakenly allowed this power to expire last year amidst partisan gridlock.
Spectrum is the lifeblood of modern communications, powering 5G networks and the consumer benefits they make possible. Very little can be done without it. By restoring its auctioning authority, the FCC will be able to auction licenses to providers for future technologies and the government will have more money to spend on public services like next-gen 911 and the Affordable Connectivity Program, a broadband subsidy program that was also mistakenly allowed to expire.
Prominent lawmakers – like Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have already championed restoring this authority, and with Cruz likely assuming a leadership role in the Senate, there’s renewed hope that action will be taken.
To complement these efforts, the Trump administration must also focus on building a robust spectrum pipeline. Unlike the Joe Biden administration, which preferred studies to policy action, the Trump administration’s past efforts to free up spectrum for commercial use were highly successful. By focusing on spectrum availability, the Trump administration can ensure that commercial providers are ready to meet consumers’ growing demand for data.
Republican control of Congress presents new opportunities for the Trump administration to streamline broadband subsidy programs. For instance, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program program—designed to expand high-speed internet access to all Americans—has rightly come under scrutiny for its inclusion of irrelevant program requirements like climate change mandates and the lack of progress that has been made on deployment. Eliminating requirements that have nothing to do with connecting Americans would help accelerate deployment.
Read the full article here.
Nate Scherer is a policy analyst with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit us at www.TheAmericanConsumer.Org or follow us on X @ConsumerPal.