This spring, the University of Notre Dame welcomes the development of a critical strategy at the national level. It’s about the radio frequency spectrum, the natural resource used by all sorts of high-tech wireless applications that enhance our lives on a daily basis.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently announced the development of the National Spectrum Strategy, in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission and in coordination with other executive branch agencies. To collect wide-ranging public input as part of this process, NTIA has issued a request for comment and planned two listening sessions: The first was hosted in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2023, and the second will be hosted at Notre Dame on April 11, 2023. The second session is hosted through collaboration with SpectrumX, the National Science Foundation Spectrum Innovation Center, which is the world’s largest academic hub in the radio spectrum ecosystem, led by the University of Notre Dame.
There is a lot of radio spectrum, a range of about 3 trillion frequencies, with opportunities for spatial reuse. However, much of the practically usable spectrum has already been divided up and allocated to different applications over the years by two government agencies in the U.S.: the NTIA, which regulates government use of the spectrum, and the FCC, which regulates non-government use of the spectrum. Globally, spectrum allocation is coordinated through the International Telecommunications Union, a treaty organization involving almost 200 countries. Unfortunately, regulatory processes to reallocate spectrum often become drawn out and quite contentious, and they are struggling to keep pace with wireless innovation.
For those new to the radio spectrum, it is utilized by our smartphones to check local weather forecasts and for use in navigation and ride sharing apps. Cellular networks using 4G/5G, Wi-Fi networks, and more utilize radio waves to transmit information. Satellite constellations, weather satellites, and radio astronomy utilize the spectrum, and rely on different bands to perform everyday tasks and drive scientific discoveries on a daily basis.
To remain competitive globally, the U.S. needs to balance the increasing demands of commercial wireless, especially next-generation cellular and Wi-Fi networks, with the growing needs of satellite, scientific and defense applications, among others. This balancing act will require all stakeholders to come to the table to inform the National Spectrum Strategy and to develop unified positions at the global level with our allies around the world. In addition, I believe we need to collectively pursue paradigm shifts in three key areas: automating management and dynamic monitoring and sharing of the radio spectrum, coordinating research and development on related technologies and preparing the future spectrum workforce.
As center director for SpectrumX, co-director of the Wireless Institute and Professor of Electrical Engineering at Notre Dame, I invite entrepreneurs, companies, industry organizations, municipalities, nonprofits, think tanks, government agencies and academic researchers to join me and get involved in NTIA’s process. And I look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful campus on April 11, 2023.
More information is available at: https://ntia.gov/issues/national-spectrum-strategy. To see the South Bend Tribune article, click here.
Nick Laneman is director of SpectrumX, co-director of the Wireless Institute in the College of Engineering, and professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame.