Two US politicians have proposed a plan to restore the US Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) authority to hold spectrum auctions, around a year after the US Senate allowed it to lapse for the first time ever.

In a statement earlier this week, senators Ted Cruz and John Thune proposed a new spectrum pipeline legislation that seeks for the auction of spectrum in the band between 1.3GHz and 13.2GHz.

The proposal hopes to restore the FCC’s authority to auction off 1,250MHz of licensed spectrum for mobile broadband services.

“To dominate in next-generation wireless technologies, stay ahead of our adversaries, and advance strong economic growth, the US must create a pipeline to expand commercial access to mid-band spectrum,” said Cruz.

“The Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2024 meets those goals while promoting both consumer and national security interests. I thank Sen. Thune for his partnership on this legislation and his year-long effort to ensure we got this right.”

The FCC lost its spectrum authority on March 9, 2023. It meant that the agency had been unable to auction more spectrum for 5G networks.

For carriers such as T-Mobile, it meant that further 5G rollouts were delayed. Last week, T-Mobile finally activated its 2.5GHz spectrum to expand its 5G network capacity, after it had been unable to use the spectrum because of the spectrum lapse.

Cruz and Thune state that the act "will protect American taxpayers and prioritize national security."

The pair note that the act will help identify spectrum, notably "at least 2,500MHz of mid-band spectrum that can be reallocated from Federal use to non-Federal or shared use in the next five years."

On top of this, it will renew the FCC's auction authority, promote unlicensed innovation, and ensure that the remaining spectrum can be licensed or unlicensed.

It also seeks to create new reporting requirements, such as ensuring the FCC and NTIA to submit to Congress annual progress reports as well as reports within 60 days of each identification made by NTIA, plus the upgrading of federal systems.

"Spectrum is the lifeblood of wireless communications,” said Sen. Thune. “This legislation restores the FCC’s auction authority, and, in doing so, it ensures that crucial mid-band spectrum is made available for commercial 5G and advanced WiFi use, which is a win-win for American entrepreneurs and consumers."