AT&T recently published a blog that proposes a major change in the use of Citizens Band Radio Spectrum (CBRS). While the company hasn’t yet formally submitted the request to the FCC, it instantly stirred up a lot of controversy in the wireless industry.

AT&T’s plan calls for moving Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS) users to the 3.1-3.3 GHz band and then auctioning off the entire 3.55-3.7 GHz spectrum for licensed, full-power use. AT&T’s plan would continue to protect the Department of Defense users of the spectrum but would relocate everybody else. AT&T argues this would create 530 MHz of contiguous licensed mid-band spectrum to support 5G.

There are several reasons behind the AT&T request. The big cell companies are complaining that China will have four times more mid-band spectrum than the U.S. by 2027. They argue that lack of spectrum will block the deployment of next-generation 5G and 6G services. In practical terms, having one large block of spectrum would let cellular carriers implement faster FWA cellular products with speeds up to a gigabit.

The other reason behind the concept is that AT&T hates the spectrum sharing rules currently used in the CBRS band. The CBRS band has a three-tiered system. Spectrum us is guaranteed for the U.S. Navy. Some spectrum was auctioned using Priority Access Licenses (PALs), that give the winners the next use of the spectrum after the Navy. Finally, anybody else can use CBRS spectrum in the General Authorized Access (GAA) portion of the band. In every market there is a SAS administrator that tracks the use of spectrum sharing. AT&T’s biggest concern is that it doesn’t want to see spectrum sharing applied to other mid-band spectrum.

Interestingly, cellular carriers are not against spectrum sharing when it benefits them. The carriers convinced the FCC to allow them to use WiFi spectrum in urban areas for their cellular networks. As I discussed back in a 2021 blog, in some urban areas, the carriers have quietly snagged much of the outdoor WiFi spectrum, making it hard to use for other purposes.

The AT&T blog evoked an instant response from the rest of the industry. WISPA, which represents wireless ISPs that use CBRS spectrum for rural broadband said its members have no desire to relocate to lower spectrum bands.

Spectrum for the Future, a group representing companies like Comcast and Charter, says this is an attempt by AT&T to quash competition. These companies are now building out wireless networks to compete with the big cellular companies. They are also the companies being hit the hardest by customers changing to FWA wireless.

Expect this to end up as a major battle at the FCC. The FCC under Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel is strongly in favor of spectrum sharing. Perhaps AT&T is seeding this argument in case the Republicans regain the White House. Republican Commissioner Brendon Carr has expressed big support for expanding the availability of mid-band spectrum.

It seems inevitable that there will be never-ending battles about the use and control of spectrum. The public’s appetite for wireless bandwidth keeps growing. The process of planning for future spectrum is a decade-long process, so AT&T is now seeding the discussion for a decade from now. It’s hard to say if the AT&T blog is just testing the waters, or if it is the first shot in a new spectrum battle – but it’s clear that the spectrum wars are not likely going to subside over the next decade.