Publications
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Meteor Burst System Communications Compatibility
The technical and operating characteristics of meteor burst systems of importance for spectrum management applications are identified. A technical assessment is included, which identifies the most appropriate frequency sub-bands within the VHF spectrum to support meteor burst systems. The electromagnetic compatibility of meteor burst systems with other equipment in the VHF spectrum is determined using computerized analysis methods for both ionospheric and groundwave propagation modes. It is shown that meteor burst equipment can cause and are susceptible to groundwave interference from other VHF equipment. The report includes tables of geographical distance separations between meteor burst and other VHF equipment which satisfy interference threshold criteria includes tables of geographical distance separations between meteor burst and other VHF equipment which satisfy interference threshold criteria.
U.S. Broadband Availability June 2010 - June 2012
This report on the availability of broadband, authored by NTIA, is the first in a series of Broadband Briefs that uses publicly available data collected by the Department of Commerce to examine broadband availability in greater detail. This report uses current data from the June 30, 2012 State Broadband Initiative (SBI) dataset, which is the same data that populates the National Broadband Map (NBM), as well as historical data from June 2010 and June 2011.
Sixteenth Quarterly Status Report to Congress Regarding BTOP
Pursuant to Section 6001(d)(4) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA or Recovery Act) (Public Law No. 111-5), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provides this Quarterly Report on the status of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP or Program). This Report focuses on the Program’s activities from October 1 to December 31, 2012.
Sixth Annual Progress Report on the Relocation of Federal Radio Systems from the 1710-1755 MHz Spectrum Band
Section 207 of the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA), Title II of P.L. 108-494 requires annual reporting on federal agencies’ progress to vacate certain wireless communications systems from the 1710 megahertz (MHz) to 1755 MHz radio spectrum that has been reallocated to commercial use. NTIA published the first annual report to Congress on April 17, 2008. That report covered relocation activity occurring over the period March 2007 through December 2007.
The Spectrum Sharing Innovation Test-Bed Pilot Program FY 2012 Progress Report
NTIA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the federal agencies, established a Spectrum Sharing Innovation Test-Bed (Test-Bed) pilot program in 2009 to examine the feasibility of increased sharing between federal and non-federal users.
Report to the President: Identification of 15 MHz of Spectrum Between 1675 MHz and 1710 MHz for Reallocation
As directed by Congress in Section 6401(a)(3) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Tax Relief Act), NTIA submitted a report to the President identifying 15 megahertz of spectrum between 1675 MHz and 1710 MHz for reallocation from federal use to non-federal use.
FirstNet Annual Report to Congress FY 2012
Section 6210 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act) requires the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to prepare an annual report to Congress on its operations, activities, financial condition and accomplishments during the preceding fiscal year. The FirstNet Board adopted and transmitted its first Report to Congress on February 12, 2013. As President Obama signed the Act into law on February 22, 2012, this initial report covers relevant activities from the date of enactment through September 30, 2012.
Evaluation of the 5350-5470 MHz and 5850-5925 MHz Bands
Through this report, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) presents the results of its initial study on the potential use of up to 195 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band by Unlicensed-National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices. Pursuant to Section 6406(b)(1) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Tax Relief Act), NTIA, in consultation with the Department of Defense and other impacted agencies, assessed known and proposed spectrum-sharing technologies. This study also evaluated the risk to federal users if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allows U-NII devices to operate in the 5350-5470 MHz and 5850-5925 MHz bands.
Fifteenth Quarterly Status Report to Congress Regarding BTOP
Pursuant to Section 6001(d)(4) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA or Recovery Act) (Public Law No. 111-5), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provides this Quarterly Report on the status of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP or Program). This Report focuses on the Program’s activities from July 1 to September 30, 2012.
Spectrum Resource Assessment in the 2.7 to 2.9 GHz Band Phase II: Measurements and Model Validation (Report No. 1)
The Office of Telecommunications (OT) undertook a detailed program to measure and analyze spectrum utilization in the 2.7. to 2.9 GHz band in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas in support of an Office of Telecommunications Policy (OTP) Spectrum Resource Assessment task. The measurement program consisted of on-site visits to compare predicted and actual PPI interference patterns, and utilization of the Radio Spectrum Measurement System (RSMS) van to validate the component models used in predicting radar-to-radar interference.
From the measured data and a supporting literature search, it was concluded that ducting and man-made clutter (building attenuation) should be included in the propagation loss predictions in order to improve the prediction accuracy of radar-to-radar interference and radar frequency assignments. Even though potential multipath wave interference conditions can be identified, to account for this analytically would require and extremely complex antenna and terrain model. Due to modeling inaccuracies, the difference between the predicted and actual radar-to-radar Interference-to-noise Ratio (INR) levels may be as large as 22 dB (2σ standard deviation region). However, INR errors of approximately 25 dB can still result in relatively accurate predictions of interference patterns on the victim PPI display for conditions where mainbeam-to-backlobe antenna coupling predominates. In summary, it was concluded that the analytical radar-to-radar interference techniques used in this investigation can be used to predict interference patterns on the victim radar PPI display with sufficient accuracy to allow assessment of radar band congestion, frequency assignment flexibility, and potential of the band to absorb new users.