Republican Plan to Sell $88 Billion of Radio Spectrum Faces Fight

Top Republicans are planning to auction $88 billion worth of radio spectrum to wireless broadband companies Verizon Communications Inc. and Elon Musk’s Starlink to help pay for their massive tax package — but the proposal faces stiff opposition from senators concerned about the potential impact to defense systems.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved language Wednesday authorizing 600 megahertz of sales to private industry, which would generate an estimated $88 billion in revenue over a decade. That’s particularly attractive to Republicans because the revenue wouldn’t come from politically painful tax increases or benefit cuts elsewhere.