SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY A United States Policy Initiative

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SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT FOR THE 21ST
CENTURYA United States Policy Initiative

• Presented to the National Radio Science Meeting
• Boulder, Colorado
• January 7, 2005
• Leslie A. Taylor
• Strategic Spectrum Planning and Reform Division
• National Telecommunications and Information
  Administration
• US Department of Commerce
• Ph 202 482 4214 Fx 202 566 2440
• Email ltaylor_at_ntia.doc.gov

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Presidential Mandate for Spectrum Reform

• June 5, 2003, Memorandum signed by
• President George W. Bush
• Calls for a review and reform of radio frequency
  spectrum management policies affecting the United
  States domestic and international uses of the
  spectrum
• Tasked the Department of Commerce (NTIA) to lead
  this effort

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Presidential Memo November 30, 2004

• President George W. Bush issued a Presidential
  Memo on November 30, 2004 directing Federal
  agencies to work with NTIA to implement the
  recommendations of the Spectrum Policy
  Initiative, with emphasis on
• use of the OMB Capital Planning Process for
  spectrum-related investments
• development of agency and federal strategic
  spectrum plans including use of new technologies
  or services
• public safety requirements, interoperability and
  survivability of communications
• the use of incentives for efficient use of the
  spectrum

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Why Review Spectrum Policy?

• The 2003 Presidential Memorandum says
• the existing legal and policy framework for
  spectrum management has not kept pace with the
  dramatic changes in technology and spectrum use

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NTIAs Spectrum Reform Actions to Date

• Assistant Secretary Michael Gallagher on June
  24, 2004 presented to President George W. Bush
  two Reports entitled Spectrum Policy for the
  21st Century The Presidents Spectrum Policy
  Initiative
• See http//www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/specpolini/p
  resspecpolini_report1_06242004.htm
• and
• http//www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/specpolini/presspe
  cpolini_report2_06242004.htm
• Notice of Inquiry, Public Forums, and Federal
  Government Spectrum Task Force meetings formed
  the basis for two Reports presented to the
  President
• Comments received to the NOI and reports of the
  Public Forums are posted on to the NTIA Spectrum
  Reform website at http//www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/
  spectrumreform/

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NTIAs Spectrum Reform Activities to Date

• Led a Federal Government Spectrum Task Force
  with representatives from
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Defense
• Department of Energy
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Justice
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Treasury
• The White House

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NTIAs Role in U.S. Telecommunications
Policymaking and Spectrum Management

• The National Telecommunications and Information
  Administration (NTIA) is the U.S. Executive
  Branch's principal voice and adviser on domestic
  and international communications policy issues.
• NTIAs Additional Responsibilities
• Representing the Executive Branch in
  international domestic telecommunications
  policy activities
• Managing Federal Government use of frequency
  spectrum
• Performing telecommunications research
  engineering for both the Federal Government and
  the private sector

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U.S. Spectrum Management
Executive Branch (President)
Legislative Branch (Congress)
NTIA Federal Users
FCC Non-Federal Users
Commercial Private Business State Local
Government Media
COORDINATION
National Defense Law Enforcement Homeland
Security Transportation Resource Management
ADVISORY
LIAISON
INTERDEPARTMENT RADIO ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Chaired by NTIA Representing 19 Federal Agencies
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The Vision for Spectrum Policy

• Support the timely deployment of new products and
  services
• Promote market driven competition to the extent
  feasible
• Create an environment fostering technological
  innovation and efficient use of spectrum
• Ensure that the spectrum needs of national
  defense, homeland security and public safety are
  met
• Implement within federal agencies a common
  long-range planning process for spectrum-related
  investments

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Goals of U.S. Spectrum Reform Efforts

• Identify critical spectrum requirements of the
  United States, including those for national
  defense and homeland security, public safety,
  transportation, and science
• Create incentives for efficient and beneficial
  use of the spectrum
• Promote the implementation of new and expanded
  radiocommunication services and technologies

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Improving Efficient Use of Spectrum by Federal
Government Users

• Long-range planning processes by federal agencies
  are needed to identify telecommunications needs,
  spectrum requirements and alternatives for
  meeting needs
• Incentives can encourage efficient use of
  spectrum
• Where possible, government can and should use
  more private systems and services to support
  non-critical missions
• The Challenge how to introduce incentives while
  preserving government access to spectrum for
  critical missions

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Public Safety Interoperability and Communications
Survivability

• 9/11 Commission identified need for public safety
  interoperability
• NTIA works with Homeland Security, DOD, FAA and
  other agencies to identify means to facilitate
  interoperability
• Technical methods to improve interoperability are
  being tested and evaluated
• Institutional, economic and other issues must be
  addressed

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Supporting New Technologies

• Spectrum management should facilitate the prompt
  introduction of new technologies
• Processes for allocating spectrum and licensing
  systems, both in government and private sector,
  should be improved
• Unlicensed systems (such as wi-fi,
• ultra-wideband and others) should be
  accommodated while protecting
• private sector and government users
• operating pursuant to primary allocations
• Government spectrum managers should
• have spectrum management training and
• have access to information on technological
  developments

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MAKING IT HAPPEN NATIONAL STRATEGIC SPECTRUM
PLAN

• In accordance with Presidential Memorandum, a
  number of federal agencies will prepare agency
  strategic spectrum plan which identify
  requirements for the next 10 years.
• NTIA will combine the agency plans into a
  federal strategic spectrum plan.
• Private sector and state and local government
  will provide input on their requirements through
  the FCC.
• NTIA will combine the federal and FCC inputs to
  create a National Strategic Spectrum Plan.
• The plan will be updated biannually with the
  first plan produced in December 2005.

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BENEFITS TO GOVERNMENT USERS OF LONG TERM PLANNING

• Consideration of alternative technologies which
  may not require use of spectrum
• Long-term certainty of operations
• Efficient use of procurement dollars
• Lease rather than buy can provide opportunity to
  continually upgrading system capability by using
  most advanced deployed communication systems
  available ( e.g. VoIP)

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SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT FOR THE 21ST
CENTURYA United States Policy Initiative
NTIA Spectrum Reform website http//spectrumrefor
m.ntia.doc.gov NTIA Spectrum Reform email
spectrumreform_at_ntia.doc.gov