Part IV: 3550 – 3650 MHz Band (3.5 GHz/CBRS)
The FCC established the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and created a three-tiered access and authorization framework to accommodate shared federal and non-federal use of the 3550-3700 MHz band in 2015. On September 27, 2019, the FCC announced its plan to commence an auction of Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in the 3550-3650 MHz portion of this band, which was allocated for shared federal and non-federal use. The auction of these frequencies is referred to as the CBRS auction in this report.
On December 20, 2019, NTIA sent a letter to the FCC on behalf of DOD’s eligible federal agencies, providing notification of the initial estimated relocation and sharing costs and the estimated transition timelines for the 3550-3650 MHz band. The total estimated relocation and sharing costs for the band are $98.17 million.
The CBRS auction commenced on July 23, 2020, and concluded on August 25, 2020, with $4.5 billion in net winning bids and a total of 228 bidders winning 20,625 PALs. On October 23, 2020, OMB, in consultation with NTIA, submitted a report to Congress detailing its intent to transfer $98.17 million to five DOD agencies for the 3550-3650 MHz band.
This is the third year of reporting on the CBRS spectrum. Because federal agencies were already sharing the spectrum at the time of the auction, implementation of indefinite sharing was effective upon award of licenses. For the period ending September 2023, outlays for DOD for the 3550-3650 MHz band totaled $16.3 million, bringing the total cumulative outlays to $47.8million.
The following are the overall summary and agency status of funds tables for the 3550-3650 MHz band. As all agencies have completed spectrum transition, there are no status of spectrum transition tables.
3550 – 3650 MHz Band Summary of Sharing and Relocation Activities
| Department/Agency | Bureau | Estimated Completion of Transition Timeline (Month/Year) | Transition Status | Total Original Estimated Transition Cost | Total Adjusted Estimated Transition Cost | Total Transferred From SRF | Cumulative Outlays | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOD | Air Force (AF) | 8/2020 | Complete | $5,088,000 | $5,088,000 | $4,667,200 | $4,212,800 | Ongoing |
| DOD | Army (AR) | 8/2020 | Complete | $11,950,000 | $11,950,000 | $2,601,300 | $1,655,000 | Ongoing |
| Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) | N/A | Complete | $48,357,000 | $48,357,000 | $30,387,700 | $28,642,500 | Ongoing | |
| DOD | Navy (N) | 8/2020 | Complete | $30,431,000 | $30,431,000 | $18,759,800 | $12,680,400 | Ongoing |
| DOD | Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO) | N/A | $2,348,400 | $2,348,400 | $1,005,300 | $595,100 | Ongoing | |
| DOD | Subtotal | $98,174,400 | $98,174,400 | $57,421,300 | $47,785,800 | |||
| Total | $98,174,400 | $98,174,400 | $57,421,300 | $47,785,800 |
DOD
Air Force
| System/Program Name | Original Estimated Transition Costs | Adjusted Estimated Transition Costs | SRF Transfers This Reporting Year | Total SRF Transfers | Adjusted System Total | Cost Incurred this Reporting Year(Outlays) | Cumulative Outlays | SRF Balance | System Spending Closeout Date | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF EME Sensing and Monitoring (AF-3550-2) | $4,338,000 | $4,338,000 | $8,000 | $4,322,000 | $3,717,200 | $3,374,000 | $3,874,000 | $343,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| AF Engineering and Sharing Support (AF-3550-1) | $750,000 | $750,000 | $150,000 | $450,000 | $233,800 | $122,600 | $338,800 | $111,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| AF Other 1 (AF-3550-4) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Other 2 (AF-3550-5) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Other 3 (AF-3550-6) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Other 4 (AF-3550-7) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Other 5 (AF-3550-8) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Other 6 (AF-3550-9) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| AF Radiolocation 1 (AF-3550-3) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Complete | |
| Sequestration | $0 | $0 | ($104,800) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | ||
| Total | $5,088,000 | $5,088,000 | $158,000 | $4,667,200 | $3,951,000 | $3,496,600 | $4,212,800 | $454,400 |
Army
| System/Program Name | Original Estimated Transition Costs | Adjusted Estimated Transition Costs | SRF Transfers This Reporting Year | Total SRF Transfers | Adjusted System Total | Cost Incurred this Reporting Year(Outlays) | Cumulative Outlays | SRF Balance | System Spending Closeout Date | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army EME Sensing and Monitoring (AR-3550-2) | $9,950,000 | $9,950,000 | ($1,718,500) | $2,781,500 | $946,300 | $0 | $1,150,000 | $946,300 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| Army Engineering and Sharing Support (AR-3550-1) | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | ($441,000) | $359,000 | $105,000 | $105,000 | $505,000 | $0 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| Army Land Based Other 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| Army Radiolocation 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| Sequestration | $0 | ($339,200) | ($539,200) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | ||
| Total | $11,950,000 | $11,950,000 | ($2,498,700) | $2,601,300 | $1,051,300 | $105,000 | $1,655,000 | $946,300 |
DSO
| System/Program Name | Original Estimated Transition Costs | Adjusted Estimated Transition Costs | SRF Transfers This Reporting Year | Total SRF Transfers | Adjusted System Total | Cost Incurred this Reporting Year(Outlays) | Cumulative Outlays | SRF Balance | System Spending Closeout Date | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment (DISA-3550-2) | $16,590,500 | $16,590,500 | $761,000 | $15,067,000 | $846,600 | $0 | $14,220,400 | $846,600 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| DoD Interference Management Capability (DISA-3550-3) | $24,640,500 | $24,640,500 | $3,352,000 | $12,676,000 | $4,238,000 | $3,685,300 | $11,882,500 | $552,700 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| DoD Spectrum Sharing Team (DISA-3550-1) | $7,126,000 | $7,126,000 | $200,000 | $3,067,000 | $693,100 | $347,200 | $2,539,600 | $345,900 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| Sequestration | $0 | ($263,500) | ($422,300) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | ||
| Total | $48,357,000 | $48,357,000 | $4,049,500 | $30,387,700 | $5,777,700 | $4,032,500 | $28,642,500 | $1,745,200 |
OCIO
| System/Program Name | Original Estimated Transition Costs | Adjusted Estimated Transition Costs | SRF Transfers This Reporting Year | Total SRF Transfers | Adjusted System Total | Cost Incurred this Reporting Year(Outlays) | Cumulative Outlays | SRF Balance | System Spending Closeout Date | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoD CIO Engineering and Sharing Support (DOD-3550-1) | $2,348,400 | $2,348,000 | $134,000 | $1,005,300 | $825,400 | $415,200 | $595,100 | $410,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| Sequestration | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | ||
| Total | $2,348,400 | $2,348,000 | $134,000 | $1,005,300 | $825,400 | $415,200 | $595,100 | $410,200 |
DON
| System/Program Name | Original Estimated Transition Costs | Adjusted Estimated Transition Costs | SRF Transfers This Reporting Year | Total SRF Transfers | Adjusted System Total | Cost Incurred this Reporting Year(Outlays) | Cumulative Outlays | SRF Balance | System Spending Closeout Date | Spending Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DON Other | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON Oversight and Implementation (DON-3550-9) | $2,242,000 | $2,242,000 | $562,700 | $935,700 | $935,700 | $9,500 | $9,500 | $926,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| DON Radiolocation 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON Radiolocation 2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON Radiolocation 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON RDTE 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON RDTE 2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON SESEF | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| DON Simulator | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | |
| Sequestration | $0 | ($46,600) | ($361,300) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | ||
| USMC CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment (DON-3550-8) | $612,000 | $612,000 | $210,000 | $494,000 | $403,600 | $375,900 | $375,900 | $27,700 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USMC EME Sensing and Monitoring (DON-3550-7) | $6,871,000 | $6,871,000 | $1,157,000 | $4,314,000 | $4,196,200 | $2,347,700 | $2,347,700 | $1,848,500 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USMC Engineering and Sharing Support (DON-3550-6) | $2,374,000 | $2,374,000 | $420,000 | $1,351,000 | $1,304,900 | $988,700 | $988,700 | $316,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USN CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment (DON-3550-3) | $1,213,000 | $1,213,000 | $363,000 | $1,213,000 | $654,500 | $390,700 | $937,500 | $263,800 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USN DPA Awareness (DON-3550-4) | $4,375,000 | $4,375,000 | $0 | $1,125,000 | $320,700 | $320,000 | $1,124,300 | $700 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USN EME Sensing and Monitoring (DON-3550-2) | $4,147,000 | $4,147,000 | $354,000 | $3,335,500 | $1,919,600 | $1,498,200 | $2,913,900 | $421,400 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USN EMI Recognition (DON-3550-5) | $5,973,000 | $5,973,000 | $2,255,000 | $4,855,000 | $3,853,900 | $1,864,700 | $2,782,400 | $1,989,200 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| USN Engineering and Sharing Support (DON-3550-1) | $2,624,000 | $2,624,000 | $523,900 | $1,497,900 | $697,400 | $411,700 | $1,200,500 | $285,700 | 1/29/2026 | On Time |
| Total | $30,431,000 | $30,431,000 | $5,799,000 | $18,759,800 | $14,286,500 | $8,207,100 | $12,680,400 | $6,079,400 |