Don’t Let the NDAA Derail America’s Spectrum Pipeline and Tech Leadership

America’s technology frontier is expanding rapidly, fueled by artificial intelligence and next-generation communications technologies. As 5G networks build out and 6G networks prepare to launch with even faster speeds and lower latency, demand for spectrum—the invisible airwaves that carry such services—is at an all-time high. Congress recognized the need for more spectrum when it authorized the 800 megahertz of spectrum for commercial use in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed earlier this year. But what Congress gives, it can take away, and a proposal included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) threatens to do just that by granting the secretary of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff veto authority over plans to reallocate spectrum.

This back-and-forth is the result of a long-standing tension over how spectrum is allocated. The government controls roughly 60 percent of the spectrum, which is used for defense systems, law enforcement, and other purposes. Burgeoning commercial uses, including wireless carriers, next-generation Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things, and low earth orbit satellites, have increased demand for spectrum. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) manages federal spectrum policy, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) manages commercial spectrum uses. Together, they work to ensure that spectrum is allocated to its most highly valued use.

To address increasing demand and scarcity of commercial spectrum, the OBBBA restored auction authority and opened a spectrum pipeline for commercial use. But it also disallowed auctions of the 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands, which are dedicated to national defense. The OBBBA was a political compromise that sought to protect critical national security uses while providing the resources needed to accommodate innovation and next-generation commercial technologies.

Section 1564 of the NDAA seeks to rewrite the deal, which is why the Trump administration opposes the measure. As passed by the Senate, section 1564 of the NDAA states that any modifications to the 3.1-3.45 GHz or 7.4-8.4 GHz bands cannot move forward without the joint approval of the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This introduces a new bureaucratic hurdle, making it more challenging to ensure that spectrum allocations keep pace with growing demand, and to meet the goals for commercial use included in the OBBBA.

While section 1564 may have been crafted for national security purposes, it is effectively a veto that could paralyze the entire 800-megahertz pipeline. Freeing up spectrum for auctions and additional commercial use may require reorganizing current spectrum allocations, a process managed by the NTIA. This may entail moving some uses into the protected bands to clear space elsewhere. By giving the Joint Chiefs a veto over modifications in these bands, section 1564 can block the necessary relocations, making it difficult to fill the spectrum pipeline established in OBBBA.

All of this matters for global leadership in 5G technologies and beyond. Without effective spectrum allocation and management, the United States risks falling behind China’s efforts to establish global policy on mid-band spectrum, which is vital to 5G and 6G networks. Ultimately, both national security and global leadership in wireless technologies require access to more spectrum, and the efficient allocation of that spectrum. After years of preeminence, the United States risks losing its competitive edge. Political squabbles over spectrum allocation have slowed the deployment, leaving other nations to fill the gap. China, in particular, is striving to be the world’s leader in 6G technologies.

The OBBBA’s pipeline is essential to maintaining U.S. leadership and to developing and deploying new AI-driven technologies, creating jobs, and improving consumer welfare. Section 1564’s veto provision would make spectrum allocation more challenging. If the United States cannot free up enough spectrum to fill the OBBBA’s pipeline, there is a real risk of ceding leadership to adversaries like China, with significant implications for innovation, economic growth, and national security.

The House-passed version of the NDAA does not include section 1564. As NDAA goes to conference, House negotiators should work to eliminate section 1564 from the final bill. Granting the Pentagon veto authority over spectrum allocation jeopardizes U.S. global leadership in this critical infrastructure. The OBBBA already protects national security interests while providing the NTIA and FCC the tools necessary to deploy the spectrum that is vital to America’s continued leadership and innovation in spectrum policy.