China’s tightening grip on radio frequencies critical for advanced technologies – from 5G networks to AI-driven weapons – threatens to eclipse US innovation and military readiness, senators and analysts warned on Wednesday, urging Congress to break a years-long stalemate over modernising America’s outdated spectrum policies.
At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, lawmakers clashed over how to balance urgent economic priorities with national security needs as China rapidly outpaces the US in deploying next-generation wireless infrastructure.
The debate, fuelled by China’s rapid implementation of 5G wireless systems, centred on legislation to revive long-expired federal authority to auction airwaves – a delay experts say has handed Beijing a strategic edge in shaping the future of communications, artificial intelligence and military innovation.
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“China is using spectrum as a tool for military and economic dominance. Delays here risk letting them lock in global standards we cannot match,” said Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who chairs the committee and is an author of the Spectrum Pipeline Act.
Introduced last year, the bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to auction 2,500 megahertz of federally controlled airwaves – vital for 5G and defence systems – within eight years.
Cruz contended that the US is choking growth by clinging to decades-old rules that reserve swathes of spectrum for dying uses like over-the-air TV broadcasts, while “China’s state-backed telecoms” giants like Huawei Technologies and ZTE install 6G prototypes in bands the Pentagon deems critical for radar and missile defence.
“We are fighting a global technology race against Communist China,” he declared.
“If we do not catch up and lead, it will be Huawei that creates the backbone of tomorrow’s global communications network.”
The hearing underscored bipartisan urgency to act, but disagreement over how. Cruz’s bill would extend the FCC’s auction authority, which expired in 2023, to 2027 and set strict deadlines to reallocate federal spectrum.
Some senators – as well as the Pentagon – fear that the bill prioritises auction revenue over national security, though.
Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, cited a 2020 FCC decision to approve 5G networks near frequencies used by aeroplane altimeters – a move that nearly grounded flights – as proof that “rushed policies risk catastrophes”.
And Senator Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican who also sits on the Armed Services Committee, warned that relocating military systems like the proposed Iron Dome for America – a missile shield requiring radar access to track hypersonic threats – could take decades and cost “hundreds of billions” of dollars.
The US Defence Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Huawei has denied Cruz’s allegation that it is a state-sponsored enterprise, saying in a statement to the Post that the telecommunications company is “a private company wholly owned by its employees”.
“No government or any third party holds shares in our company, intervenes in our operations, or influences our decision-making,” according to a spokesperson.
The tension reflects a broader dilemma. Radio spectrum – the invisible infrastructure behind everything from smartphones to satellite navigation – can be both a catalyst for economic growth and a pillar of modern warfare.
China’s centralised “military-civil fusion” policy allows its military to reclaim commercial spectrum for surveillance or jamming during conflicts, while US agencies and telecoms firms remain locked in bureaucratic battles over underused airwaves.
“Artificial scarcity imposed by outdated regulations is stifling innovation,” said Thomas Hazlett, an economist and former FCC official, told the committee. He noted that 35 channels reserved for 1950s-era TV broadcasts still sit idle.
He praised efforts like a 2016 “incentive auction”, which reallocated airwaves from broadcasters to telecoms firms, but warned that the US lags China in mid-band spectrum – frequencies ideal for 5G due to their balance of range and data capacity.
Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Navy strategist, said that China’s edge lies in its ability to blend commercial and military priorities.
He noted that the People’s Liberation Army embeds officers in telecoms firms to ensure swift spectrum reallocation. Beijing “pretends to free airwaves for companies, but the PLA can kick them out anytime”, Clark added.
By contrast, US efforts to share spectrum – like the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, which lets commercial and military users share frequencies – remain experimental, leaving critical systems like missile defence radars vulnerable to congestion.
Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, questioned Pentagon claims that sharing airwaves was impossible, noting that US allies like Japan and Taiwan already operate 5G in bands the US Defence Department calls indispensable.
“How can we expect to win a Pacific conflict if we cannot use these frequencies?” Cruz asked, arguing that commercial 5G networks in Mexico operate near US military radars without issue.
Matthew Pearl, a former National Security Council adviser, warned that US military readiness increasingly depends on private-sector innovation. In Ukraine, soldiers used commercial smartphones to dodge Russian drone strikes and map enemy positions – tactics requiring robust wireless networks.
“If Huawei sets 6G standards, we’ll be isolated with inferior tech,” Pearl said. “This isn’t just about economics – it’s about survival.”
Charles Baylis, a Baylor University engineering professor leading a Pentagon-funded spectrum initiative, proposed a middle path: AI-driven tools to help military and commercial systems share frequencies seamlessly.
As an example, he said his team recently demonstrated a system that shifts radar signals in milliseconds to avoid collisions.
“We need to upgrade from kindergarten to college-level spectrum management,” Baylis said.
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