The White House published a National Spectrum Strategy that aims to expand access to advanced wireless broadband networks and technologies, whether terrestrial-, airspace-, satellite- or space-based, for all Americans.
The 23-page paper was developed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in collaboration with the FCC and in coordination with other Federal agencies.
The Strategy has four pillars
- Pillar One: A Spectrum Pipeline to Ensure U.S. Leadership in Advanced and Emerging Technologies
- Pillar Two: Collaborative Long-Term Planning to Support the Nation’s Evolving Spectrum Needs
- Pillar Three: Unprecedented Spectrum Innovation, Access, and Management through Technology Development
- Pillar Four: Expanded Spectrum Expertise and Elevated National Awareness
Significantly this Strategy identifies five spectrum bands in government hands totaling 2,786 megahertz of mostly mid-band spectrum for in-depth, near-term study to determine suitability for potential repurposing to address evolving needs,, including terrestrial wireless broadband, innovative space services, and unmanned aviation and other autonomous vehicle operations. This includes the following:
Lower 3 GHz (3.1-3.45 GHz)
- The Department of Defense (DoD) has studied the potential for sharing 350 megahertz of spectrum with the private sector, determining that sharing is feasible with advanced interference-mitigation features and a coordination framework.
- The Departments of Commerce and Defense will co-lead follow-on studies focusing on future use of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, exploring dynamic spectrum sharing and private-sector access while preserving Federal mission capabilities
- The FCC, in coordination with NTIA and the Federal Aviation Administration, will facilitate limited deployment of UAS in this band, followed by studies to optimize UAS spectrum access while avoiding harmful interference to other operations.
- This 1,275 megahertz of spectrum will be studied for wireless broadband use, with some sub-bands potentially studied for other uses, while protecting incumbent users from harmful interference.
- This 500 megahertz of spectrum will be studied for expanded Federal and non-Federal satellite operations, consistent with the U.S. position at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference.
- This 600 megahertz of spectrum will be further studied to implement a co-equal, shared-use framework allowing Federal and non-Federal users to deploy operations in the band.
