The FCC voted to launch a proceeding designed to advance its understanding of non-federal spectrum use and take advantage of new data sources, methods, and technologies. The agency wants to accomplish this in a cost-effective, accurate, scalable, and actionable manner. The Notice of Inquiry (NOI) will explore how these new tools can promote effective spectrum management and identify new opportunities for innovation, according to the agency.
As the RF environment becomes more congested, using technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to understand spectrum needs and draw insights from large and complex datasets can help enable more efficient spectrum use, said agency officials at yesterday’s FCC meeting. The effort includes new spectrum sharing techniques and approaches to enable coexistence among users and services.
During the vote, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said he believes many people are still holding up a magnifying glass to the NTIA’s spectrum chart to see the frequency bands. He said people “might be surprised to learn we don’t have a lot of sophisticated tools to see in real-time how spectrum is being used. I’m glad we’re launching this inquiry today to see what tools are out there to give us a better picture of the current state” of spectrum use, Carr said, noting that “it’s important to squeeze more out of what we have.”
“Finding new ways to make more spectrum available is vital to our economic success, our national security as well,” said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “As it turns out, developing accurate information about how we’re using spectrum today may be one of the best ways to ensure we have enough of it available for us tomorrow.”
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the news about AI isn’t all dark. By using AI, she said, “a large wireless provider’s network can generate several million performance measurements every minute. Using those measurements, machine learning can provide insights to help better understand network usage, support greater spectrum efficiency and improve resiliency by making it possible for networks to heal on their own.” The inquiry, she said, “is a way to understand this kind of potential and help ensure it develops in the United States first.”
The Commission typically doesn’t collect spectrum use data, instead relying on third party sources from time to time to inform its decisions. The NOI seeks to build on the Commission’s expertise and the latest insights from spectrum researchers in academia, industry, government, and international bodies.
The proceeding will explore the feasibility, benefits, and limitations of techniques to understand non-federal spectrum use. The Notice seeks comment on best practices, operational considerations, and technical parameters, along with band-specific and service-specific considerations.
Carr also acknowledged several Capitol Hill staffers in the room and used the occasion to reiterate the agency’s call for Congress to re-authorize its spectrum auction authority. “I know it’s August recess and Congress isn’t in session, but if over the recess you find some good spectrum auction authority somewhere, we would be happy to put it to good use.”
He thanked Rosenworcel for inviting them. She seconded his mention of the needed auction authority.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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