WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Senate Commerce

Committee chair Ted Cruz on Tuesday asked U.S Director of

National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to investigate if China is

covertly working to prevent Congress from extending authority to

auction wireless spectrum.

In 2023, the Federal Communications Commission lost the

broad authority from Congress for wireless spectrum sales and

lawmakers are considering legislation that would approve new

auctions to free up spectrum for growing wireless use.

"China is actively working to capture global leadership in

this area and ensure the next generation of global

telecommunications technologies live and work on a technological

backbone of their making," Cruz said in a letter seen by

Reuters.

The Chinese Embassy and Gabbard's office did not immediately

respond to requests for comment.

Cruz said on Tuesday that he is working to get spectrum

auction authority attached to broad tax legislation Congress is

expected to take up in the coming months.

China has announced it would open more spectrum bands

for future 5G and 6G wireless use while the United States is

debating next steps, Cruz noted.

"Freeing up spectrum for commercial use in the United

States is not just important for our economic growth; it is

critically important for our global leadership," Cruz wrote.

He said a new spectrum auction could raise $100 billion

or more.

"If we do not catch up and lead, it will be Huawei that

creates the backbone of tomorrow's global communication networks

through which much of the world's economic traffic -- and

indeed, much of our government's traffic -- will flow," Cruz

said.

China-based Huawei, the world's largest

telecommunications equipment maker, did not immediately respond

to a request for comment.

The FCC will re-auction spectrum to provide nearly $3.1

billion for U.S. telecom companies to remove equipment made by

Huawei and ZTE (Shenzhen:000063).

Last week, FCC Chair

Brendan Carr said the commission is

investigating nine Chinese companies including Huawei, ZTE

China Mobile and China Telecom

to determine if they are seeking to evade U.S.

restrictions.

It is the latest in a series of actions against Chinese

telecom and technology firms by Washington. The FCC previously

barred the Chinese companies from providing telecommunications

services in the United States, citing national security

concerns.