WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday proposed allowing the development and use of software-defined radios, also known as cognitive radios.
“While the amount of available spectrum is ultimately limited only by technology, the spectrum supply currently feels very limited. Sharing spectrum is a crucial means to get more mileage out of this important resource. Cognitive radio technology allows for greater spectrum sharing by enabling devices to find and use available spectrum in different frequencies, times or spaces,” said FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin.
SDRs have the ability to sense whether spectrum is being used and then program themselves to be used when it is available.
“For instance, a system could use geolocation information to determine whether certain transmissions are permissible. Alternatively, such radios could sense their operating or radio-frequency environment and use this information to determine the optimal frequencies and transmit powers to use, while avoiding harmful interference. Many smart radios also can interpret and transmit signals in different formats or modulation schemes. Because of their technical and operational flexibility, they also make it possible to use vacant spectrum channels-that is, spectrum that may be available in a particular geographic location or during a particular period of time-spectrum that would otherwise go unused,” said the FCC. “Certain smart-radio capabilities are employed to some extent today in applications such as commercial mobile radio services.”
The SDR proposed rules have “all of the buzz words we care about around here-rural, public safety and broadband,” said FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, while supporting the proposed rules, said he would have to be convinced it was a good idea to allow public-safety entities to lease spectrum to commercial entities.
Edmond Thomas, chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology, said the FCC is taking the first step in allowing such leasing, but the FCC would determine after reviewing public comment whether now is the time for such leasing.
