FCC’s Build America Agenda Makes Great Progress in First Year
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2026—Today, Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted some key wins under the FCC’s “Build America Agenda” since it was first launched last July in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  As outlined last July, the agency’s Build America Agenda is centered on actions that unleash fast and affordable services for American families and businesses. 
Chairman Carr issued the following statement:
“A year ago, I said it’s time to build in America.  The FCC’s Build America Agenda promised to unleash new infrastructure builds, strengthen competition, and support new and affordable high-speed services.  One year later, speeds are up, prices are down, and competition is intensifying.  America is leading the world again in next-gen connectivity.  But more work lies ahead.  At the FCC, we will continue to move quickly on multiple fronts to ensure great results for America’s consumers and businesses.”
UNLEASHING HIGH-SPEED INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDS

· Adopted rules to streamline the process for getting communities off old and slow copper lines and onto new, high-speed networks.  This action reduces regulatory burdens and effectively frees up tens of billions of dollars annually for the roll out of upgraded, high-speed networks to more Americans on a faster timeline. 

· Proposed comprehensive reforms to accelerate the transition to an all-IP environment, including phasing out intercarrier compensation regulations that may encourage providers to continue using legacy technology, sunsetting interconnection obligations for legacy networks and exploring frameworks for IP interconnection, and reforming the high-cost USF support mechanisms for an all-IP future.

· Updated pole attachment rules to make broadband deployment faster and more efficient. The new rules promote collaboration between broadband providers and utility pole owners, reduce delays, and help accelerate high-speed internet access nationwide. 

· Created and used a first-of-its-kind accelerated docket to expedite the review process for pole attachment complaints and ensure resolution within 60 days.

· Clarified rules to ensure so-called reverse-preemption states that regulate pole attachments in their own jurisdictions do not slow broadband deployments with red tape.

· Proposed new rules to ensure consistent, reasonable state and local regulations that are consistent with Section 253 of the Communications Act for deploying modern, high-speed wireline infrastructure.  

· Proposed a systematic overhaul of the FCC’s outdated NEPA environmental and NHPA historic permitting rules that slow down wireless and space infrastructure builds.  

· Approved at least $50 billion in cable, fiber, and wireline deals that promise more investment, infrastructure deployment, and connectivity throughout the United States, including:  

o Charter’s $34.5 billion acquisition of Cox, which paves the way for billions of dollars of investment in network upgrades across the country, including through Charter’s Rural Construction Initiative, bringing better service and job opportunities to rural America.   

o Metronet’s $4.9 billion sale of network assets to T-Mobile subsidiaries, which will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds and deliver significant wins for America’s tower and telecom crews. 

o Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier, allowing Verizon to upgrade and expand Frontier’s existing network in 25 states, bringing more fiber to more communities and enabling the retirement of old copper networks—including rural America.   

RESTORING AMERICA’S LEADERSHIP IN WIRELESS

· Successfully executing the FCC’s two-prong strategy of spectrum auctions and secondary market transactions, so that spectrum flows to higher and better uses.  Together, these efforts are on track to revitalize approximately 300 megahertz of underused low- and mid-band spectrum by the end of 2027. 

· Delivering on the FCC’s statutory mandate to meet President Trump’s spectrum pipeline plan and auction 800 megahertz for commercial use by 2034:  

o Successfully completed the $3.5 billion auction of 200 licenses in the AWS-3 band.  This auction, the FCC’s first since 2022, not only lit up mid-band spectrum that sat idle for more than a decade but also generated enough revenues to make the U.S. Treasury whole.  

o Announced final rules to auction 160 megahertz of the Upper C-band by July 2027, exceeding the 100-megahertz minimum set by Congress.  The auction will create a “Super Band” of 440 megahertz of prime, mid-band spectrum—the largest contiguous swath in the industrialized world.  By moving on time, on budget, and with no surprises, the FCC is poised to bring 5G and 6G services to the Upper C-band for most Americans by 2030—far sooner than many expected.  

o Actively planning several more auctions by the close of 2028, including spectrum bands under current study by NTIA. 

· Approved secondary-market transactions—backed by demanding buildout requirements—that will light up hundreds of megahertz of underutilized spectrum to accelerate the deployment of 5G and fixed wireless for in-home broadband services and advance America’s leadership in D2D:  

o AT&T’s $40 billion acquisition of EchoStar spectrum, including 30 megahertz of 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum and 20 megahertz of 600 MHz low-band spectrum.  AT&T has already deployed this spectrum across 23,000 sites and boosted 5G download speeds by up to 80%.

o SpaceX’s $19.6 billion acquisition of EchoStar spectrum, including 15 megahertz of unpaired AWS-3 spectrum, 40 megahertz of AWS-4 spectrum, and 10 megahertz of H-Block spectrum.  SpaceX gains access—for the first time ever—to exclusive-use spectrum for broadband services. 

o Grain and T-Mobile’s $2.9 billion cash transaction and spectrum swap, including T-Mobile’s purchase of 600 MHz licenses and Grain’s purchase of 14 megahertz in the 800 MHz band.  Grain is subject to strict performance requirements and incentives to light the band up for D2D quickly. 

T-Mobile’s $4.3 billion acquisition of US Cellular spectrum and assets, including 600 MHz, 700 MHz, PCS, AWS, 2.5 GHz, and millimeter-wave spectrum licenses spanning 27 states and covering 15% of the U.S. population.	

o AT&T’s $1 billion acquisition of US Cellular spectrum and assets, including the 700 MHz and 3.45 GHz licenses spanning 29 states and covering at least 12% of the U.S. population.   

o Verizon’s $1 billion acquisition of US Cellular spectrum and assets, including Cellular, PCS, and AWS licenses spanning 19 states and covering at least 8% of the U.S. population.  

· Adopted reforms to make more intensive use of spectrum beyond auctions and secondary-market transactions.  

o Adopted rules to expand access to spectrum for utilities, critical infrastructure, and enterprise businesses deploying private 900 MHz broadband networks.

o Adopted rules to enhance unlicensed spectrum use by creating a new category of unlicensed devices—geofenced variable power (GVP) devices in the 6 GHz band—that can operate in more places and at higher power than previously before.  

o Adopted sharing rules for 600 megahertz in the 37 GHz band to support fixed wireless and IoT.

BOOSTING AMERICA'S SPACE ECONOMY

· Announced final rules to modernize the Space Bureau’s licensing processes, which will deliver better and faster outcomes for American innovation.  At the July 2026 meeting, the FCC will vote on replacing the bespoke, legacy regime with a “assembly line” that gives America’s space innovators the predictability and simplicity they deserve.   

· Granted industry-shaping authorizations in record time.  The Space Bureau’s backlog has plummeted to historic lows—processing times went down as pending applications fell by 43% in 2025 and an additional 15% in the first five months of 2026.  Some of these authorizations included:   

o AST SpaceMobile’s 248-satellite authorization to provide D2D in the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands, in collaboration with AT&T, Verizon, and FirstNet. 

o Amazon Leo’s Gen2 authorization to deploy 4,500 satellites, more than doubling the size of its constellation.

o Logos’s Gen1 authorization to deploy 4,178 low Earth orbit broadband satellites in the Q/V-, E-, S-, and Ka-bands.

o Reflect Orbital’s groundbreaking satellite technology that redirects sunlight to provide ubiquitous solar energy across Earth.  

o SES’s $3.1 billion acquisition of Intelsat, which creates a stronger competitor in the vibrant global satellite industry.  

o SpaceX’s Gen2 authorization to deploy an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites, use an expanded range of frequency bands, and extend D2D coverage outside the U.S.

· Adopting “spectrum abundance” reforms that close the competitive and technological gap between satellite and wireline broadband—an outcome considered unimaginable only a few years ago.  

o Eliminated 1990s-era EPFD technical rules that artificially throttled LEO broadband speeds for no technical reason.  The FCC replaced those obsolete rules with a modern, performance-based framework that promises more than $2 billion in economic benefits and capacity increases between 100% to 700%, without increasing the likelihood of harmful interference.   

o Teed up more than 20,000 megahertz for satellite spectrum abundance—more than the sum-total of spectrum available for satellite broadband today. 

o Launched a proceeding to ensure reliable spectrum access for “Weird Space Stuff”—cutting-edge ventures like orbital laboratories, in-space repairs, and inhabitable spacecraft.

o Revisiting overprotective restrictions in the so-called UMFUS spectrum bands that leave spectrum underutilized and prevent satellite infrastructure from being built. 

o Kicked off a first-of-its-kind proceeding to explore D2D operations using unlicensed spectrum.  

· Provided long-awaited legal clarity to protect American innovators’ D2D spectrum rights abroad and to support unprecedented deal flow in D2D since the start of 2025:  

o SpaceX’s $19.6 billion acquisition of 65 megahertz of D2D spectrum from EchoStar.

o Amazon’s $11.6 billion acquisition of Globalstar and its 32 megahertz of D2D spectrum.

o RocketLab’s $8 billion acquisition of Iridium and its 8 megahertz of D2D spectrum.

o AST’s $550 million deal to use 45 megahertz of D2D spectrum held by Ligado.

· Taking significant efforts to defend American satellite innovators from discrimination by foreign governments in non-U.S. markets, advocating for the fair treatment of American companies, and reexamining the FCC’s policy of satellite reciprocity following recent protectionist trends.

UNLEASHING AMERICAN DRONE DOMINANCE

· Launched a comprehensive proceeding to explore all reforms to implement President Trump’s initiative to Unleash American Drone Dominance.  The FCC’s sweeping inquiry covers modernizing UAS experimental licensing, creating UAS innovation zones, freeing up more spectrum for UAS operators, and securing UAS equipment from foreign adversaries.

· Secured the domestic drone and router supply chain by prohibiting most foreign-produced drones, drone critical components, and routers from receiving authorization for the U.S. market, while exempting devices from suppliers the Department of War deems trusted and who agree to onshore manufacturing.  This reform has catalyzed billions in manufacturing investment and the creation of thousands of manufacturing jobs, as dozens of companies have committed to onshoring.

· Provided essential legal clarity on the meaning of Section 333 of the Communications Act in the Drone Dominance proceeding.  The FCC’s clarifications enable state, tribal, local, and private entities to test new Counter-UAS technologies and confidently defend the homeland from security threats, consistent with the SAFER SKIES Act.  

· Issued a blanket spectrum authorization to deploy Counter-UAS and a waiver for authorized Counter-UAS equipment for entities subject to the SAFER Skies Act.  These important decisions in the Drone Dominance proceeding give state, local, and tribal entities the regulatory certainty they need to undertake authorized Counter-UAS activities.  
STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S WORKFORCE
· Secured a commitment from Charter to onshore all of the job functions currently handled offshore by Cox, as a condition of the companies’ combination.  Minimum starting wage for these jobs will be $20/hour.  
 
· Through merger approval process, secured valuable commitments by all three major U.S. wireless carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, to America’s tower and telecom crews, including faster payment cycles and fairer pricing metrics.

· Presented the first “Build America Hard Hat” to honor the leader of a Western North Carolina telecom crew who used a kayak to pull conduit through a river and restore service knocked offline by Hurricane Helene.
CUTTING RED TAPE
· Eliminated or proposed to eliminate 2,192 rules or regulations, 175,100 words, and 407 pages from the Code of Federal Regulations under the FCC’s Delete, Delete, Delete initiative.

· According to OMB metrics, FCC stands at 17 deregulatory items offsetting 1 regulatory item with annual cost savings of $666 million since last October.
 
· Closed 2,144 inactive or dormant dockets, the largest ever in a single proceeding in the FCC’s history.
PROMOTING NATIONAL SECURITY
· Adopted new rules in line with the America First Investment Policy Memorandum to strengthen the security requirements for submarine cable licensees, while also streamlining and accelerating the deployment of submarine cable infrastructure.

· Streamlined the approval process for devices that are tested in U.S. labs for sale and use in the United States, while excluding test labs owned or controlled by foreign adversaries and proposing to restore international reciprocity by excluding labs in countries that refuse to recognize U.S. labs.

· Further strengthened U.S. supply chains by prohibiting the authorization for import or sale devices containing certain components produced by entities on the FCC’s Covered List. 
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