U.S. rail carriers were granted a new wireless broadband frequency by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) four years ago, but concerns are growing that a transition to the new network is not being robustly pursued.
With a September 2025 deadline looming for the rail industry to exit the existing 900 MHz private wireless network to a new 900 MHz frequency band, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has not responded to Federal Newswire’s requests for comment on progress made in building out an envisioned nationwide “safety network” via expanded network capability.
And now, broadband provider Anterix is asking the Federal Communications Commission to re-allocate spectrum it granted for U.S. rail carriers in May 2020 that is believed to be under-utilized.
Anterix, the largest holder of 900 MHz spectrum in the United States, made its request in July regarding a proposed rulemaking authorizing 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band.
A goal of the transition includes improved train operations and safety.
The FCC order gave the railroads until September 2025 to vacate the legacy 900 MHz spectrum, effectively transitioning that legacy band to Anterix, which plans to use the spectrum for wireless infrastructure in support of smart grid upgrades for the utility sector. In exchange, a new 900 spectrum was awarded to the railroads for immediate use with an FCC license renewal slated for April 2026.
But according to a senior FCC official who spoke to Federal Newswire, the railroads may not be putting their allocated portion of broadband to the highest and most robust use.
The spectrum “has real, significant value to the industry…and also to the public interest,” said the FCC official who declined to be identified.
“At the end of day either the railroads put it to use or there’s going to be a significant push for the FCC to look at other ideas for robust use,” he said.
The official said that license renewals are typically contingent upon spectrum owners meeting FCC requirements which generally include the demonstration of network utilization.
On behalf of the railroads, the AAR agreed to the legacy network retirement deadlines and license renewal timelines for the new spectrum, while also committing to a $110 million investment in equipment upgrades to accommodate the new A-block spectrum and in turn move the industry off its current outdated technology, according to the official.
In May, the AAR told the FCC that “the railroads agreed to the 900 MHz… transition plan and have already made a significant investment in rail safety innovation with the new wider narrowband channels.” The transition would, according to the AAR’s public statements, require the replacement of nearly 10,000 radios that are able to operate on the newly allocated 900 MHz A-block and “improve existing rail network capacity constraints across its narrowband spectrum assets and accommodate new safety applications.”
The official said that some wireless spectrum experts believe there has been little to no actual movement from the Class I railroads to meet the FCC’s April 2026 license renewal deadline.
Last month, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), a member of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, sent a letter to all FCC commissioners requesting an update on transition status and specific plans for using the new 900 MHz, noting “the national importance of this transition to building out a new ‘safety network.’”
The FCC official told Federal Newswire that the railroads’ potential failure to transition off the legacy 900 MHz network undermines the FCC’s economic objectives in two key areas: first, it prevents Anterix and other private sector organizations from utilizing the spectrum allocated to them by the FCC in May 2020; and, second, not using the new 900 MHz networks jeopardizes the safety upgrades envisioned by the FCC and agreed to by the AAR.
