Remarks of Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth at the 2026 CTIA Summit

Remarks of Arielle Roth
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
2026 CTIA Summit
May 6, 2026

Good afternoon.

Thank you to Chairman Pai and the entire CTIA team for inviting me to speak today.

In a prior spectrum speech, I compared spectrum reallocation to my packed minivan-everyone fighting over seats, a struggle to balance competing needs, and someone in the back dramatically announcing they never wanted to go on this trip to begin with.

And as a mom of six, I can tell you-my eight-seater minivan is truly at capacity. No amount of rearranging is going to create a ninth spot.

Spectrum is different. We're not stuck with a fixed number of seats. We can reconfigure, modernize, and make more room.

And while my minivan just racks up wear and tear with every mile, spectrum works differently: the more efficiently we use it, the more value it creates.

In my minivan, harmful interference escalates quickly, the noise floor takes the form of a crying infant, and spurious emissions amount to intermittent but very noticeable kicks to the back of your seat.

But with spectrum, we're not destined to be exasperated parents-we can engineer around these challenges and make the whole system work better. And that's exactly what we're doing.

Now, I know from talking to many of you that it can still feel like you're standing in the driveway, ready to go, wondering about the ETA. That impatience is understandable-and frankly, it's a good thing.

Because this is a pivotal moment for American leadership in 5G and 6G. The next generation of wireless will power advances in AI, robotics, and beyond, and that leadership will shape both our economic future and our national security.

And it all starts with getting spectrum policy right-here at home and on the global stage.

Winning the 6G Race

President Trump has made it the policy of the United States to lead the world in 6G. Because of his leadership, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unlock the spectrum that will power American wireless innovation for years to come.

Last year, Congress gave NTIA a first-of-its-kind mandate: identify 500 MHz of federal spectrum for commercial use in five years, including at least 200 MHz within two years.

In December, the President went further, directing NTIA to complete its study of the 7 GHz band within 12 months and immediately begin studying whether portions of the 2.7 GHz and 4 GHz bands can be reallocated for full-power commercial licensed use.

These bands offer the right mix of coverage and capacity, as well as opportunities for larger contiguous channels needed for 6G. They have the potential to unleash new frontiers of commercial innovation while modernizing federal systems.

This level of alignment is rare and cannot be taken for granted. We've seen in prior Administrations how momentum can stall without strong leadership from the White House.

At NTIA, our focus is simple: maximize the value of this spectrum for the American people. That means moving with urgency to modernize federal systems, improve efficiency, and get more spectrum into the marketplace.

Today I want to give you a clear update on our progress in getting this "Odyssey" moving.

Making Progress on Key Spectrum Bands

In March, NTIA formally notified the FCC that we had identified our first 5 MHz of spectrum in the "L" band, 1675-1680 MHz and that we are also studying the next 15 MHz, 1680-1695, including potentially for satellite direct-to-device use.

We are moving quickly on the remaining 15 MHz. The pipeline plan has been sent to Congress, and with just 34 days to go in the required 60-day review window, agencies will soon have access to the funding necessary to study how to repurpose this band.

It's worth reflecting on this process. Federal agencies rely on the Spectrum Relocation Fund-or SRF-to defray the costs associated with spectrum relocation studies. But accessing that funding requires submission of detailed pipeline plans, review by the Technical Panel, signed approval by the OMB director, and a 60-day Congressional notification period.

These are the statutory hoops required just to access funding to begin our required studies. For those calling on us to move faster, I stand ready to work with industry and Congress on opportunities to streamline this process. SRF may not be the most headline-grabbing topic, but if we're serious about speed, we should be looking at reforms to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy while still maintaining the critical checks and balances embedded in the process.

Because even though the Technical Panel's approval of agencies' plans may be time consuming on the front end, it does more than unlock access to funds from the SRF-it establishes an engineering roadmap for identifying the band for commercial use while protecting critical federal missions.

SRF is critical because if we don't have a clear game plan on how agencies will vacate a band or the availability of replacement systems, that threatens bidder confidence, projected auction revenues, and ultimately the feasibility of an auction.

Thanks to SRF funding, we're well on our way to identifying spectrum in the 7 GHz band. Technical work is underway and we remain on track to deliver our final report in December, consistent with the President's directive.

For the 2.7 GHz band, the SRF Tech Panel has approved relocation plans and last week OMB transmitted those plans to Congress. With 54 days left on the clock, we look forward to the release of funding so we can get this band identified for auction as quickly as possible.

It's worth noting that under the Trump NTIA's direction, the SRF pipeline process for the 2.7 GHz band moved twice as fast compared to the 7 GHz process in the previous administration.

We accomplished this by providing rapid guidance to the Tech Panel, coordinating early with the Department of War and other agencies to determine reasonable costs, and working closely with OMB to jumpstart their clearance process.

This milestone is significant because it will enable NOAA and FAA, the two primary federal users of the band, to integrate spectrum repurposing into their ongoing radar modernization-improving aviation safety and weather monitoring while freeing up spectrum for 6G.

Finally, the 4 GHz band isn't far behind. The Tech Panel has received each of the nine expected plans from the affected military departments and agencies and is already reviewing them. This is a big accomplishment for this exciting-albeit complicated-band, and I continue to hold my team's feet to the fire to see plans approved, studies completed, and the band ultimately identified for reallocation.

I want to thank the federal agencies we've been working with across these bands. They have demonstrated their commitment to our spectrum pipeline and moving studies forward with speed and accuracy.

Announcing Spectrum.gov

We're proud of this progress.

But we also know that industry and Congress want more visibility. And honestly, that's fair. As a former Hill staffer, I always found federal spectrum policy to be a black box, which undermines trust and creates uncertainty. We've set out to change that.

Later today, NTIA will launch spectrum.gov: a centralized hub to provide updates on spectrum policy and pipeline progress, as well as efforts to unleash the space economy and ensure the U.S. leads the world at WRC-27.

It brings all of NTIA's resources for federal spectrum managers, policymakers, and industry under one easy-to-navigate website. When we're transparent about our work, it raises the bar for delivering results.

I invite you to check out spectrum.gov once it goes live later today and share your feedback as we continue to expand this resource.

Preparing for WRC-27

While the spectrum pipeline is our focus here at home, we are equally focused on advancing American interests abroad-particularly in the international standards bodies that will shape 6G. That message was clear in the Presidential Memorandum on Winning the Race to 6G, which called for coalition building in advance of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.

Last week, I was in Geneva for bilateral meetings with key countries to discuss U.S. positions. I also spoke at ITU Council about the commitments the United States expects in the Host Country Agreement with China. I emphasized the U.S. government's non-negotiables to ensure a transparent, fair, and successful conference. Together with our interagency partners, NTIA will continue working to ensure we can advance our interests independently, securely, and free from interference.

Our role is to set the conditions for innovation-clear rules, efficient processes, and access to the spectrum that will power 6G. The rest is up to you.

We're no longer stuck in the driveway. We are on the right path, and we're moving with urgency to cement American technology leadership for years to come. I look forward to continuing this work with all of you.