Celebrating America 250: The Story of U.S. Spectrum Policy
On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin connected a house key to a kite and observed conduction along the thin rope connecting the two. This now famous experiment was not only emblematic of the American spirit—one of innovation and exploration—but also marked one of the first significant steps toward unraveling the mysteries of electromagnetism, the scientific foundation for the many spectrum advances the United States has brought to the world.
Spectrum—the range of electromagnetic frequencies that carry everything from radio and television to cellular, Wi-Fi, and satellite communications—is a finite and invaluable national resource, and America's strategic management of this resource has been a driving force behind our nation’s technological leadership. Over the decades following Franklin’s experiment, American scientists and inventors, including Alexander Bell and Samuel Morse, have pioneered breakthroughs in spectrum’s use for communications. Thanks to their work, spectrum has become fundamental to modern life, affecting every sector of the economy.
As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence this July 4, NTIA is reflecting on our nation’s spectrum story—one of the most consequential, yet overlooked, achievements in American technological leadership. From the experimental early days of radio in the 1920s to the bold spectrum pipelines of today, the story of how America organized its airwaves reflects an enduring commitment to innovation and progress.
At the center of that story is the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC), which was established over 100 years ago and remains the nation’s oldest interagency advisory body. What followed was the development of the two-regulator system for spectrum management—that still prevails today. Together with the FCC, IRAC helped shape the spectrum management framework that continues to guide the development of wireless technologies today.
How America Organized its Airwaves: The Origins of IRAC
When radio was in its infancy in the early 1920s, the United States faced the challenge of defining rights and governance arrangements for a rapidly growing new technology. While broadcasters, courts, and regulators were already developing mechanisms to manage interference and facilitate coordination, the federal government chose to centralize spectrum allocation through the IRAC and ultimately, the Radio Act of 1927. In doing so, Congress established a regulatory framework that would shape the development of American wireless communications for decades to come.
The IRAC met for the first time on June 1, 1922. Seven agencies answered then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover’s invitation to “inquire into the critical situation that has arisen through the astonishing development of the wireless telephone,” and “advise the Department of Commerce as to the application of the present power of regulation.” From that modest gathering, held just a few blocks from the White House, emerged an institution that would guide American spectrum policy through a century of extraordinary technological and geopolitical change.
Chaired by NTIA, today’s IRAC is the main forum for federal agencies to coordinate domestic spectrum management activities. Since the early 1990s, Congress and the President have required government users to repurpose spectrum so it could be auctioned for non-government use. Federal users have either vacated or agreed to share several gigahertz of spectrum, and NTIA studies have facilitated novel spectrum sharing arrangements between incumbent federal operations and new mobile users. The IRAC has been a willing and active partner in these efforts to make valuable spectrum available for increasingly productive commercial uses, supporting the wireless technologies that have transformed the American economy.
The 250th Anniversary Moment: The 800 Megahertz Pipeline
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, our spectrum story is entering a new and consequential chapter. Last year, President Donald Trump signed the Working Families Tax Cut Act into law, directing the reallocation and auction of 800 megahertz of spectrum for commercial wireless use—the largest spectrum pipeline mandate in American history.
Within two years of enactment, NTIA must identify at least 200 megahertz of federal spectrum for repurposing. Within four years, it must identify the remaining frequencies necessary to reach NTIA’s 500-megahertz target. The FCC, for its part, must simultaneously move to auction at least 100 megahertz of Upper C-Band spectrum within two years, and identify and auction another 200 megahertz thereafter.
NTIA’s work is well underway. Today, NTIA submitted Technical Panel Plans for the 4 GHz band to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). After the OMB Director signs off and submits the Congressional notification, 12 different federal agencies and departments will receive funding to study repurposing a large section of contiguous spectrum within this band. This is in addition to the ongoing studies in the 7 GHz, 2.7 GHz, and 1675-1695 MHz bands. For more information and to track our band study progress, visit Spectrum.gov.
The same interagency consensus-building process that assigned frequencies to seven government departments in 1922 is now the backbone of the most ambitious federal spectrum repurposing effort in history. The same technical rigor that NTIA's engineers brought to the spectrum that powered the mobile revolution is now being brought to the bands that will power 6G networks, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, advanced manufacturing, and cutting-edge satellite communications for decades to come.
Looking Forward
The United States reaches its 250th birthday with the same spirit of discovery and innovation that drove Benjamin Franklin in 1752. America’s founding generation could not have anticipated that the invisible airwaves traversing the American continent would become, two-and-a-half centuries later, among the most strategically important resources the nation manages. But they did understand that good governance requires durable institutions, that those institutions must adapt to new challenges, serve the national interest, and help unlock American ingenuity.
The U.S. spectrum management system reflects a distinctly American tradition: confronting new technological challenges with a combination of innovation, technical expertise, and institutional adaptation. Over the past century, that approach has helped make the United States the world leader in wireless and satellite communications. As demand for spectrum grows and new technologies emerge, America is once again making decisions that will shape the next generation of innovation. By identifying new spectrum resources, strengthening coordination across government, and creating opportunities for private sector investment, we can help ensure that the next chapter of wireless leadership is once again written in America.