Launched on April 11, Spectrum.gov gives readers a glimpse into how the federal government is using its allotment of wireless frequencies in the 225 MHz to 5 GHz bands. The new resource also provides a map showing what federal systems are using spectrum throughout the U.S.
“Just as commercial broadband providers are facing growing demands for spectrum to fuel the explosion of new wireless devices, federal agencies’ demand for spectrum also is growing,” said Karl Nebbia, NTIA associate administrator, Office of Spectrum Management, in a blog post announcing the new website. “NTIA’s compendium shows agencies need spectrum for crucial tasks ranging from military flight testing to air traffic control to weather forecasting.”
Each spectrum use report is categorized by sections of particular bandwidth. Links to each band lead to a .pdf document that gives an overview of the band, how the frequencies within it are allocated, current federal agency use, and where applicable, planned future use.
The shrinking availability of wireless spectrum has been a hot topic over the past several years as more communications devices have entered the marketplace and need bandwidth to operate. The wireless industry has been pushing for release of more spectrum to accommodate private-sector demand.
Nebbia indicated in his blog post that Spectrum.gov would be updated regularly, calling the site “an important resource” as the federal government looks to repurpose federal spectrum for commercial use.
