D.C. Memo: Playing in the C-Band – Carr Eying Auction of 180 Megahertz to Sustain U.S. Wireless Leadership
Agency Leader Sets Nov. 20, 2025, Vote to Advance a Key Communications Provision in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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BREAKING: Comcast said Thursday morning it shed 104,000 domestic broadband customers in the third quarter, reducing its broadband base to about 31.4 million and marking the fourth straight quarter without subscriber growth. The company continued to add wireless lines, however, signing up a record 414,000 mobile customers in the quarter for a total of 8.9 million. Comcast’s traditional pay-TV business kept shrinking, losing 257,000 video subscribers and ending the period with 11.5 million domestic pay-TV customers. Peacock, the company’s streaming rival to Netflix and Amazon Prime, had 41 million subscribers as of Sept. 30, showing little growth in recent quarters. Peacock lost $217 million for the quarter, better than the $436 million loss in the third quarter of 2024.
Upper C-Band: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr yesterday circulated a draft Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM) to seek comment on auctioning additional mid-band spectrum in the Upper C-band to bolster next-generation wireless services. The proposal would contemplate auctioning up to 180 megahertz in the 3.98–4.2 GHz range, with the goal of maximizing repurposed spectrum as aviation safety upgrades proceed in the adjacent band. The agency said the move would advance implementation of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which requires the FCC to complete competitive bidding for at least 100 MHz in the Upper C-band by July 2027. Commissioners are expected to vote on the draft at the FCC’s Nov. 20 open meeting in Washington, D.C. “President Trump has been clear that America is going to lead the world in next-generation technologies. That is why the FCC’s Build America Agenda prioritizes the work needed to restore U.S. leadership in wireless. And thanks to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the Commission now has the tools to deliver on that goal,” Carr said in a statement. (More after paywall.)
