The White House announced earlier this week a blueprint to improve spectrum management and access. In the blueprint, the government reveals it is studying more than 2,700 megahertz of spectrum for potential repurposing.
“These spectrum bands are a mix of Federal and shared Federal/non-Federal bands—with an emphasis on mid-band frequencies,” reads the National Spectrum Strategy. The bands “will be studied for a variety of uses, including terrestrial wireless broadband, innovative space services, and unmanned aviation and other autonomous vehicle operations.”
The largest section of studied spectrum could be repurposed for wireless broadband, with the National Spectrum Strategy reading:
“This 1,275 megahertz of spectrum will be studied for wireless broadband use (on a licensed and/or unlicensed basis), though some sub-bands eventually may be studied for other uses. There are, however, a variety of mission-critical Federal operations in this band (including Fixed, Fixed Satellite, Mobile, Mobile Satellite, Space Research, Earth Exploration Satellite, and Meteorological Satellite services) that will make it challenging to repurpose portions of the band while protecting incumbent users from harmful interference.”
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Several other bands could be repurposed for private sector use, as well as usage for unmanned aircraft systems.
The four pillars outlined in the White House’s blueprint are as follows:
Pillar 1: A Spectrum Pipeline to Ensure U.S. Leadership in Advanced and Emerging Technologies. Spectrum availability is not just a long-term challenge. Technological advances require more efficient spectrum use today.
Pillar 2: Collaborative Long-Term Planning to Support the Nation’s Evolving Spectrum Needs. A vast range of private stakeholders and government agencies need spectrum to deliver essential products and services. Long-term decisions about spectrum allocation, therefore, must involve broad-based input and transparent processes, which will help spectrum users make prudent long-term investments.
Pillar 3: Unprecedented Spectrum Access and Management Through Technology Development. Cutting-edge spectrum technologies and techniques like spectrum sharing hold great promise for promoting efficient use and ensuring that—even though spectrum is finite—the U.S. is able achieve spectrum abundance for all users. To accelerate spectrum innovation and ensure that the U.S. remains at the leading edge in this critical technology, the Strategy announces an ambitious effort under which the U.S. government will, within 12-18 months, advance research, create investment incentives, and set forth measurable goals to advance spectrum access technology.
Pillar 4: Expanded Spectrum Expertise and Elevated National Awareness. America’s long-term spectrum innovation depends on its leading-edge spectrum workforce, as well as broader public appreciation for spectrum’s vital role in our society.
