While Americans were locked down during COVID, a new kind of Cold War accelerated — not one fought with bombs or bullets, but with silicon, algorithms, and data. The artificial intelligence arms race is underway. China knows it. Russia knows it. And recent battlefield innovations in Ukraine have shown just how fast AI-powered warfare is evolving.
The only question left is: does America know it? Apparently, AT&T doesn’t.
Right now, one of the most powerful tools America has to compete in this global technology struggle is CBRS — America’s “Innovation Band.” The Citizens Broadband Radio Service was deliberately created to democratize wireless spectrum and unleash a new wave of private wireless innovation. It allows startups, universities, manufacturers, hospitals, first responders, and yes — national defense innovators — to deploy private LTE and 5G networks without needing permission from billion-dollar telecom giants.
AT&T’s recent posture on CBRS seems designed to kill it. Or at the very least, to wrench it out of reach from innovators and small businesses. In a breathtaking act of corporate overreach masquerading as “spectrum policy,” AT&T’s proposal would auction off the current CBRS spectrum — handing control to the same corporate giants who already dominate America’s telecom infrastructure. Existing CBRS users would be pushed aside, innovators blocked, and wireless power consolidated into the hands of a few privileged players. Let’s call this what it is: a direct threat to America’s national security.
The AI Battlefield Is the Edge
Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to server farms and data centers. The real battlefield for AI is the edge — where decisions must happen instantly: at our borders, in the skies, on the roads, and inside our factories. Examples include:
- AI-powered drones securing the southern border.
- Autonomous perimeter defenses at airports and ports.
- AI-driven surveillance identifying hostile actors at major events.
- AI airspace monitoring for unauthorized drones and aircraft.
- Critical infrastructure monitoring to protect power grids, pipelines, and water supplies.
- Private defense-industrial 5G networks enabling smart manufacturing for military supply chains.
All these applications can leverage LTE/5G networks that CBRS uniquely empowers — networks built by American innovators, operated on American terms, for American interests. Without CBRS, these innovators would be forced onto massive public carrier systems — controlled by companies like AT&T — where deployment moves at corporate speed, flexibility disappears under layers of bureaucracy, and innovation is dictated by profit margins instead of national security. In a world where China races forward, we simply cannot afford that.
The Technology Cold War Began While We Slept
When OpenAI launched ChatGPT during the pandemic, it marked a modern Sputnik moment. But while America was entangled in regulations and political paralysis, China and other adversaries raced ahead — embedding AI into their military, surveillance, and cyber capabilities. The window to catch up is closing fast.
And now, AT&T wants to slam it shut.
By displacing CBRS from its current, affordable mid-band spectrum position, AT&T’s proposal threatens to cut off thousands of small, nimble American innovators — the very companies most likely to deliver the edge-based AI breakthroughs we urgently need to counter China’s AI surge. For many, the cost and disruption of relocating could prove fatal — forcing them off the field entirely, or worse, into partnerships abroad that risk handing American intellectual property to foreign competitors.
This Isn’t About Spectrum — It’s About Control
The great irony: AT&T and its peers already control a substantial amount of non-governmental licensed spectrum in this country. But they want more. They want CBRS fenced off — reserved only for those with the deepest pockets. In doing so, they will smother the competition America depends on to win the AI race.
And make no mistake: I’m sure Beijing is cheering them on.
Because if America cannot dominate AI at the edge — if we cannot build battlefield-ready AI, border-ready AI, or homeland-ready AI — then our adversaries will.
A Message to Washington: Wake Up
Congress. The FCC. The Pentagon. This is your wake-up call. This is bigger than AT&T’s quarterly earnings. This is a fight for America’s technological future — and for our national security. If we hand CBRS over to the highest bidder, we are not just selling spectrum. We are selling our sovereignty.
CBRS is not a commodity. It is a national security asset. If AT&T succeeds, the losers will be American innovators — and America itself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Lambert is a technology consultant with extensive experience in custom software development, mobile applications, and network operations. He has built and operated wireless networks serving municipalities, government agencies, and private businesses, and more recently has worked with independent providers on LTE and 5G deployment methodologies. More info about his work can be found at JoshLambert.xyz.
