The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken a significant step towards holding a new spectrum auction, which its chairman, Brendan Carr, says will improve wireless network speeds and lower costs for consumers. The move, announced on a Wednesday, forms part of the regulator's broader push to free up radio spectrum for commercial wireless use, a process that also has significant implications for US government finances.

Carr said the auction could raise between $30 billion and $60 billion for the US Treasury, framing it as a rare policy that benefits both consumers and public finances simultaneously. Beyond the revenue estimate, few further specifics were given about the timeline or which spectrum bands would be involved, though the announcement marks a formal step in the FCC's process of preparing spectrum for sale to wireless carriers.