As part of its ‘Build America Agenda,’ the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is building physical infrastructure to support what an agency official described as “hard tech,” including satellite systems, next-generation wireless networks, and space-based computing.
Arpan Sura, FCC senior counsel and chief artificial intelligence officer, outlined the effort during a keynote address at the State of the Net 2026 conference. He said the agenda, launched in 2025 under Chairman Brendan Carr, is aimed at modernizing U.S. telecommunications infrastructure to support emerging technologies.
“It’s an agenda that’s comprised of a series of pillars that include restoring American leadership in wireless, boosting America’s Space economy, cutting red tape, modernizing the agency’s operations, and protecting America’s telecom workforce,” Sura said.
In the first year of the infrastructure plan, Sura said the agency has “deleted more than 1,100 rules and regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations, closed more than 2,000 dormant dockets, and reduced satellite application backlogs by half.”
To further the agenda, Sura said the FCC is streamlining regulations to accelerate deployment of the physical infrastructure needed for satellite and next-generation wireless networks. That includes changes to pole attachment rules and spectrum allocation processes, which he said directly affect broadband buildouts.
He described pole attachments as “the literal bottleneck that prevents thousands of communities from getting gigabit internet service,” and said the agency is reviewing state and local regulations that can delay or block infrastructure projects.
On spectrum policy, Sura said the FCC plans to open up 20,000 megahertz of spectrum for satellite broadband, auction up to 800 megahertz of terrestrial spectrum by 2034, and auction up to 180 megahertz in the upper C band in 2027. In the last year, the agency opened 600 megahertz of spectrum in the lower 37 gigahertz band for fixed wireless and Internet of Things uses, he said.
Sura said the agency is also revising satellite licensing and technical rules to better match the pace of low Earth orbit launches.
“We’re replacing an antiquated licensing process that was built decades ago,” he said, adding that updated technical rules could increase satellite broadband capacity without launching additional satellites.
The overall agenda, according to Sura, reflects a broader shift in the FCC’s regulatory posture toward faster decision-making and infrastructure deployment.
“The default should be to yes – yes to building, yes to deployment,” he said.