'Does This Big, Beautiful Bill Make My Debt Look Big?'
Don’t ask anyone MAGA that question. They very quickly get VERY angry.
But, of course, it does make the national debt look even bigger. Mostly because it will be. As US Trump voters not under a spell in fact know.
Well, the BBB is law (BBL?). Now comes the autopsy. Today I’m going to work against muscle memory - and look at some good stuff in the bill.
“Does This Big, Beautiful Bill Make My Broadband Look Big?”
Why, yes. Yes it does.
For YEARS now I’ve been asking DC to please pay attention to the Spectrum War with Communist China. DC has long been absurdly somnambulist on the issue.
Spectrum is a finite resource. In both total availability - and what you can do with it.
The US private sector has about 40% of the US’s spectrum. And as creative as its users are at maximizing its usage? They are running out of room on which to operate.
The federal government holds the remaining about 60%. And has done very little to consolidate and maximize its use. So as to clear more of it for use by the private sector. They are hogging it - when they should be getting rid of it.
Meanwhile, Congress allowed to lapse in March 2023 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s spectrum auction authority. Which would have been a much larger issue had the federal government actually been consolidating and clearing spectrum for the FCC to auction.
All of this DC inaction? Benefits Communist China. Because it’s either US or them setting the global regulations and standards for the wireless networks built upon the spectrum. More spectrum? Faster build out. First to the next network (4G, 5G, 6G,…)? Gets to set the regs and standards.
Well, the BBB is law. And, thankfully, the following was contained therein.
And in this instance, it’s actually, intentionally good. With no downside. I know - I’m stunned too….
FCC Authority Restored, Spectrum Pipeline Set at 800 Megahertz:
“The ‘One, Big Beautiful Bill’ finally restores the legal authority of the Federal Communications Commission to auction spectrum….
“The bill orders the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and the FCC to identify at least 800 megahertz of spectrum from within a wide swathe between 1.3 GHz to 10.5 GHz - and the bill mostly leaves it up to the FCC and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to determine exactly which bands will be up for sale.
“The FCC has to auction at least 300 megahertz of spectrum in the near-term, including at least 100 megahertz of additional C-Band spectrum between 3.98-4.2 GHz. That C-Band spectrum auction has to be conducted within two years.
“The FCC and NTIA also have to find another 500 megahertz of federal spectrum to reallocate for commercial or shared use that supports ‘full-power commercial licensed use cases’….”
The list of things they late does? Directly addresses…everything with which I have been concerned.
It mandates the government get off its keister and start clearing spectrum.
And it mandates the FCC auction a lot of it. And do so - very quickly.
For those of you in DC and not familiar with that feeling you’re getting from all this?
It’s called righteous urgency. It can be unpleasant. But it’s often necessary in the real world.
DC bureaucrats may not appreciate it. Communist China certainly doesn’t.
But those of us in the real world do.