As California’s universities push the boundaries of research and innovation, shared spectrum technologies like CBRS are the basis of essential infrastructure. Christopher Lupo of California Polytechnic State University argues that proposed changes to the CBRS framework risk undermining the connectivity, experimentation, and workforce development that private wireless networks already enable across education, industry, and public services.
California’s universities are supposed to be laboratories for the future. At Cal Poly, we take that seriously. From our marine research pier on Avila Beach to innovation hubs across campus, our work depends not just on good ideas, but on reliable connectivity.
Traditional Wi-Fi and carrier networks were never designed for the kind of intensive, specialized wireless needs that modern research demands. A marine research center needs secure video feeds and low-latency sensor data. A robotics lab needs dedicated bandwidth that won’t drop mid-experiment. Students learning about next-generation telecommunications need hands-on experience with the systems they will deploy in their careers. Standard solutions weren’t built for that.
That’s where the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) came in.
Because of CBRS spectrum, Cal Poly was able to deploy a private LTE network that fundamentally changed how we connect students, faculty, and research infrastructure. The Avila Beach research pier – cut off from reliable connectivity for years – now supports real-time monitoring and exploration of the ecosystems just offshore.
Our Digital Transformation Hub has become a true living lab, where students gain real-world experience with private 5G systems they will help build and manage in industry and government. Across campus, research teams working with IoT devices and advanced applications finally have the control, security, and dedicated bandwidth they need. None of this would have been possible without shared spectrum solutions like CBRS.
But that progress is now at risk. Policymakers at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other stakeholders are considering changes to the CBRS band – including higher power levels and relocating existing users – that would fundamentally alter how this shared spectrum works.
This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about competitiveness – and what we stand to lose if these changes move forward. American universities are supposed to lead the world in research and innovation. When our students graduate from Cal Poly, they should understand the wireless infrastructure powering industries like manufacturing, agriculture, entertainment, and defense. When we conduct research, we should have the tools to do it right. CBRS makes that possible today.
What makes CBRS work is its balance. The band is designed for low-power, shared use, protecting incumbent users while enabling new entrants – including universities – to deploy advanced networks. That balance is not accidental; it is what allows a diverse set of users to coexist and innovate. Changing the technical rules would disrupt that balance and degrade the performance that current users depend on.
Proposals to raise power levels or relocate users would do exactly that. Analysis of these proposals shows they would significantly reduce reliability across the band, undermining the very use cases that CBRS was designed to support – from campus networks to industrial and community deployments.
And it’s not just universities that rely on this model. Across California and the country, CBRS supports precision agriculture, school connectivity, industrial operations, and public safety applications. For many of these users, there is no easy substitute.
As policymakers consider the future of spectrum policy, they should start with what is already working. CBRS is working. It is powering research, training the next generation of engineers, and expanding access to advanced wireless capabilities.
The FCC should preserve the current CBRS framework and reject changes that would undermine the low-power, shared model that has made this success possible. California universities helped build the internet once. With the right policies in place, we can help build what comes next.
Christopher Lupo is the Founding Director of the Noyce School of Applied Computing at California Polytechnic State University, where he oversees the development and implementation of shared spectrum technologies, including CBRS, supporting research, student learning and innovation across campus.
