The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is set to discuss a new regulation that promises to reorganise the United States’ spectrum policy.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Committee and sponsor of the bill, will convene a full committee Executive Session next Wednesday, June 12, to consider the Spectrum and National Security Act of 2024.
The Act states, among other things, that the country must coordinate a national testbed for dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) that:
- Enables the identification of bands of Federal and non-Federal spectrum that can be accessed on a short-term basis for experimentation;
- Considers specific areas for testing and measurement to improve future study efforts across spectrum bands, including researching and developing solutions that can be applied across a range of spectrum bands;
- Is focused on developing technologically neutral approaches;
- Enables Federal entities to work cooperatively with non-Federal entities, including industry entities, academic institutions, and research organisations, to objectively examine new technologies to improve spectrum management and
- Minimises duplication of effort by synchronising, to the extent practicable, with other relevant research and engineering activities underway across the Federal Government in areas including artificial intelligence, machine learning, zero-trust networks, data-source management, autonomy and autonomous systems, and advanced radar technologies.
Another topic that should interest researchers is the promotion of advanced spectrum-sharing technologies – an approach experts deem crucial for the 6G development.
“By modernising federal spectrum strategy and restoring auction authority, we can promote innovation, boost US competitiveness, and complete the ‘rip and replace’ necessary to strengthen our national security,” said Cantwell at the time of the bill introduction.
Billionaire Investments
Should the bill pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the new Act would inject funding for:
- Researching and developing advanced spectrum technologies such as DSS (USD 25 million – NTIA and the Department of Defense);
- Establishing the Telecommunications Workforce Training Grant Program (USD 500 million in grants – Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority-serving Institutions);
- NSF and NIST research programs (USD 5 billion);
- Boosting the CHIPS manufacturing incentives program (USD 3 billion).
The Committee executive session is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 10am (ET). It will stream live on the Committee website.
Photo by Eric Haynes/Creative Commons
