Charles Cooper, associate administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Spectrum Management, said the agency is initiating technical studies of spectrum bands as part of its efforts to implement the National Spectrum Strategy.
NTIA is working to streamline the process for federal agencies to obtain funding from the Spectrum Relocation Fund for their studies of the lower 3 GHz and the 7/8 GHz bands.
“We expect that more than 10 federal agencies will seek funding, and our hope is this streamlined process will make the application process easier and quicker for these agencies,” Cooper said.
Participating agencies will have two years to complete the band studies following the distribution of the “pipeline” funds by October.
NTIA is also exploring advanced spectrum management techniques, including Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, in collaboration with the Department of Defense.
“Although this effort hopefully will inform spectrum sharing in the future for this band and others, it is separate and apart from the Lower 3 GHz band study discussed above,” according to Cooper.