Frequencies chosen for spectrum-sharing test

Two telecom agencies identified frequencies for testing spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, but there is concern that the Bush administration will not meet its self-imposed 2008 deadline for completing the project.
The Federal Communications Commission designated 10 megahertz in the 470-512 MHz band for the spectrum sharing test bed, which grew out of the 2003 Bush spectrum initiative.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Commerce Department unit that advises the president on telecom policy, said it will analyze dynamic spectrum access technologies using spectrum sensing and/or geo-location techniques in the 410-420 MHz band.
“The test bed will drive future innovation and the expansion of sharing to benefit government and commercial users, and will build on the successful sharing arrangements at 5 GHz,” said Meredith Baker, acting NTIA chief. “The test bed also will explore innovative ways to make greater use of the nation’s airwaves and promote continued economic growth and national security.”
The FCC and NTIA set a Feb. 29 deadline for companies to apply to participate in the three phase test-bed. In the first phase, adaptive radio equipment will be sent to NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences laboratory in Boulder, Colo., for characterization measurements. Next, the dynamic spectrum access capability of radio prototypes will be evaluated. Once those steps are taken, adaptive radio equipment will be allowed to operate in a field test.
FCC member Michael Copps, a Democrat on the Republican-controlled FCC, said consumers may not see the benefits of spectrum sharing as early as hoped.
“I must register my concern (as I did back in 2006) that at each step of the process, the U.S. government is falling behind the timeframe originally envisioned in 2004,” Copps stated. “It is now abundantly clear that we will not achieve the June 2008 target for completing this project. I hope that, despite the late start, we are able to accelerate the pace of this proceeding so that American citizens will be able to benefit from this basic research as quickly as possible.”
Jonathan Adelstein, the other FCC Democrat, agreed. “Just because we’ve made the bed, doesn’t mean it’s time to rest. Instead, it’s high time that we rouse from our nearly two-year slumber and get this initiative underway.”
The Bush administration contemplated completing the pilot program by June 2006, with results and recommendations finished by this September.