President Joe Biden’s decision to study how to make government-owned spectrum frequencies more available to the private sector could help the United States expedite the expansion of 5G and keep up with China.
Biden issued a “National Spectrum Strategy” on Monday, calling for detailed studies of several identified frequencies that the federal government believes could be used by private companies to expand operations related to everything from voice calls to mobile apps. Spectrum is a crucial part of how many technology companies operate. While most may not realize the presence of the electromagnetic waves around them, industry groups consider it the backbone of the U.S. ability to innovate.
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“Spectrum, and licensed spectrum in particular, is the key platform for innovation,” Umair Javed, vice president of the Cellular Telephone Industries Association, told the Washington Examiner. “For America’s long-term competitiveness, we need these technologies developed here by American companies. Freeing up more full-power, licensed spectrum is critical to ensuring we have the 5G platform to make that happen.”
What is spectrum?
The spectrum refers to the “physical phenomena of electromagnetic waves,” according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA. This spectrum varies in the quality of information transmitted, from radio frequencies in a local county to 5G antennas to the transmission of images from satellites. It’s measured by hertz. The greater the hertz, the more information is transmitted.
The majority of frequencies are owned and regulated by the federal government. The ownership helps the government keep specific frequencies secure. For example, some frequencies are used by the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and others to communicate between law enforcement departments. The Federal Aviation Administration uses other frequencies to provide safety services, such as aeronautical radio navigation, guiding for landing during heavy weather, and air-ground communications.
“Spectrum is a limited resource that enables the everyday and the extraordinary — from checking the weather on our phone to traveling into space,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement announcing Biden’s spectrum strategy. “As demand for this resource increases, the U.S. will continue to lead the world in spectrum innovation.”
Who regulates the spectrum?
Only so many frequencies are available to private companies, and each one can only perform certain functions. That means government agencies must determine who has access to what and whether licenses are required to use frequencies for communications or data transmission. The NTIA and the Federal Communications Commission are federal agencies with the authority to regulate these frequencies. The NTIA specifically manages the federal government’s use of the spectrum, while the FCC handles all private and personal uses of it.
The government owns the vast majority of these frequencies. This makes it harder for private companies like Verizon and AT&T to compete. It’s why the NTIA and FCC will try to determine if any can be made private without affecting other federal operations. It would also help the federal government be more efficient with the technology.
“We’re seeing double-digit increases in mobile data traffic every year and nearly 40% last year,” Javed said. “That’s expected to triple in the next few years. We need more full-power, licensed spectrum to meet this demand.”
The most essential spectrums for 5G are in the “midband” spectrum, or any frequencies between 3 gigahertz and 8 gigahertz. Three sections of the range are considered viable for additional 5G deployment by the CTIA: 3.1 to 3.45 GHz, 4.4 to 4.94 GHz, and 7.125 to 8.4 GHz.
The study prompted by Biden’s order will take less than two years and will analyze the government’s use of the listed frequencies. If the FCC-NTIA study determines that the frequencies are safe to use by private companies, it could open parts of those frequencies to allow wireless providers like AT&T and Verizon to deploy additional towers connected to them. For example, the Biden administration may free up frequencies the Department of Defense uses, allowing private companies to tune their devices to those same frequencies.
Will the spectrum strategy help the United States?
The National Spectrum Strategy has generally met a favorable reaction from lawmakers and industry experts.
“Making spectrum available for commercial use will help strengthen our economy, our national security, and ensure that we out-compete China,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and ranking member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said in a statement praising Biden’s plan.
“More 5G spectrum means Americans can benefit from the world’s best wireless broadband networks and the innovations across industries they’re making possible,” Javed affirmed.
The expansion of midband frequencies would also help the U.S. do more to keep up with China, which holds the advantage in the 5G race based on average speeds and the number of 5G base stations built over three months.
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Still, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has criticized the plan. “So how much spectrum did the Biden Administration’s spectrum plan commit to providing? Zero,” Carr said in a statement. Carr notes that Biden had already organized three additional years of spectrum study, which did not significantly change the industry’s problem. This has made him skeptical that another two years of study would change anything important.
It will likely take months for the study’s results to be known.
