On March 15, 2023, NTIA released a Request for Comment (“Request”) on the development and implementation of a National Spectrum Strategy for the United States. The Request seeks broad input from interested stakeholders, including private industry (including wireless broadband internet service providers, original equipment manufacturers and network vendors, developers and end-users of spectrum-based technologies and services, and contractors for federal missions), academia, civil society, the public sector, and others on three proposed pillars of the National Spectrum Strategy. Specifically, NTIA seeks comment on:
- Pillar #1 – A Spectrum Pipeline to Ensure US Leadership in Spectrum-Based Technologies – NTIA seeks comment on a Spectrum Pipeline, defined as a process for identifying spectrum bands, regardless of allocation (i.e., both federal and non-federal) that should be studied for repurposing (i.e., allowing new or additional uses) to meet future requirements for non-federal and federal use alike. NTIA seeks input on what requirements the pipeline needs to address, and which spectrum bands may be best suited or particular purposes, including for short, medium, and long term plans, for current and future networks, and spectrum sharing regimes.
- Pillar # 2 – Long-Term Spectrum Planning – NTIA and the FCC are coordinating to develop and implement a long term strategic spectrum planning process to ensure user requirements can be vetted and allocations can be regularly asses to optimize uses of spectrum. NTIA seeks comment on what the long-term planning process should entail, with whom, at what cadence NTIA should coordinate as part of such process, and how to best execute it, including which groups or categories of stakeholders should be involved, timelines and factors that should be considered, and policies that can help drive census on spectrum allocations.
- Pillar #3 – Unprecedented Spectrum Access and Management through Technology Development – NTIA notes that innovation and new technologies focused on expanding the overall capacity and usability of spectrum are key to maintaining US global leadership in spectrum-based services. NTIA seeks comment on what categories of new or emerging technologies could best help ensure the US continues to innovate and maintain its global leadership in spectrum-based services including new spectrum management models, policies that can further development of new and innovative uses of spectrum, and how the government can support this research and development.
The Request will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow and comments will be due on or before April 17, 2023.
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