Spectrum PolicyFor The Future
2024 NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium:
Implementing the National Spectrum Strategy
February 1, 2024
Overview
The 2024 NTIA Spectrum Symposium is focused on implementing the National Spectrum Strategy (NSS), which the White House released on Nov. 13, 2023, along with a presidential memorandum on “Modernizing United States Spectrum Policy and Establishing a National Spectrum Strategy.”
NTIA’s sixth annual Spectrum Policy Symposium took place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on February 1, 2024. The Symposium, a hallmark event showcasing the Commerce Department’s leadership in national spectrum policy and management, has served as the chief forum for the Executive Branch to assess current technology and policy trends in key markets for wireless goods and services, including for 5G broadband, satellite communications, and Unmanned Aviation Systems (UAS). The Symposium provides a forum for NTIA, with our federal partners, to advance the nation’s goals for spectrum policy, and to obtain input from non-government stakeholders. The Symposium will presage the release of an NSS Implementation Plan in mid-March.
The event included keynote speeches by key policy-makers from the White House, the Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission. Keynote Speeches and Panel Discussions focused on implementation of the four "pillars" of the National Spectrum Strategy, how they can be implemented by the Administration, and the National Spectrum Strategy’s impact on spectrum management coordination and national spectrum policies.
Program Schedule
Morning Session
- Welcome Video: Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
- Welcome and Introductory Remarks: Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications & Information, U. S. Department of Commerce
- Don Graves, Deputy Secretary, U. S. Department of Commerce
- Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, National Security Council
- Anna Gomez, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
Moderator: Charles Cooper
Industry and government require more spectrum than ever to innovate, supply consumers with new and emerging services, and carry out critical missions for the benefit of the American people. Accordingly, the National Spectrum Strategy identified 2,786 megahertz of spectrum for in-depth, near-term study for repurposing. The bands will be studied for terrestrial wireless broadband, innovative space services, unmanned aviation, and more.
- Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Department of Transportation
- Jonathan Campbell, Legal Advisor–Wireless, International & Space, Office of the Chairwoman, Federal Communications Commission
- Jennifer Warren, VP–Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy, Lockheed Martin
- Umair Javed, Senior VP for Spectrum, CTIA
- James Assey, Executive VP, NCTA
Moderator: Derek Khlopin
The Strategy calls for a new collaborative framework to right-size the nation’s spectrum planning processes. The goal is to eliminate jurisdictional silos and to establish a single system that will be evidence-based, data-driven, collaborative, and transparent. The new framework is also envisioned as a way to match and deconflict federal and non-federal spectrum uses.
- Mary Brown, Advisor to WIFI Forward
- Brett Kilbourne, representing Utilities Technology Council (UTC)
- John Kuzin, VP – Spectrum Policy & Regulatory Counsel, Qualcomm
- Flynn Rico-Johnson, Deputy Chief of Staff, Congresswoman Doris Matsui
- Tomasz Wojtaszek, Director, Radio Frequency Management Division, Office of the Chief Information Officer, NOAA
Afternoon Session
- Arati Prabhakar, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
- John Sherman, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Defense
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair, Energy and Commerce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.
Moderator: Paul Ransom
As spectrum needs grow and greenfield spectrum disappears, we must embrace and promote innovative technologies to expand the availability, capacity and usability of spectrum. The Strategy calls for an effort to advance research, create investment incentives, and set measurable goals for advancing spectrum-access technologies.
- Dr. John Chapin, Special Advisor for Spectrum, National Science Foundation
- Dr. Monisha Ghosh, Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame
- Dr. Charles Dietlein, Senior Research Engineer, Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
- Dr. Andrew Clegg, Spectrum Lead, Google
- Dr. Brian Kelley, Principal Investigator & SME, FutureG Applied Research, DoD
- William Kozma, Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, Boulder, Colorado
Moderator: Phil Murphy
The Strategy has identified a clear vision for raising the profile of spectrum as a career field and for greater awareness by Congress, policymakers and the general public. The call is for ambitious education and workforce development goals, including the creation of a National Spectrum Workforce Plan.
- Dr. Nick Laneman, Director of SpectrumX and Co-Director of the Wireless Institute at University of Notre Dame
- RJ Balanga, Deputy Director, Spectrum Policy and Planning Division, NASA
- Phil Karn, President, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)
- Dr. Sheryl Genco, VP–Advanced Technology, Ericsson
Where do we go from here? As the federal government moves forward under the Strategy, how do we ensure that what it envisions becomes reality? What challenges already face us in the implementation phase, and how can we overcome them? Looking forward, how do you expect the next iteration of the Strategy to evolve over time?
- Austin Bonner, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
- Matthew Pearl, Director and Special Advisor for Emerging Technologies, White House National Security Council (NSC)
- Scott Blake Harris, Senior Spectrum Advisor and Director–National Spectrum Strategy, NTIA
Wrap-up and closing remarks