CES 2024: NTIA to Release Spectrum Strategy Implementation Plan in March

LAS VEGAS, January 11, 2024 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is planning to have an implementation plan for the National Spectrum Strategy in March, a senior agency official said at CES on Thursday.

“We have an implementation plan that’s going to be out sometime in March,” said Phil Murphy, a senior advisor at the NTIA. “We’re really excited about the next steps.” 

The White House first unveiled the plan in November. It involves studying nearly 2,800 megahertz of spectrum for potential repurposing amid growing commercial demand. The plan also calls for a revamped spectrum pipeline with increased communication between government agencies and the private sector, as well as establishing a testbed for spectrum sharing.

The Biden administration also tasked the NTIA with producing an implementation plan within 120 days, putting the planned March release near the end of the agency’s window.

The implementation plan will, according to the NTIA, set up specific outcomes for each of the strategy’s “strategic objectives.” The plan will also designate responsible parties and set out start dates and timelines for their work.

Those strategic objectives are peppered throughout the strategy document, numbering 12 in total. They include ensuring spectrum resources are available for government and the private sector, developing an evidence-based spectrum allocation methodology, a spectrum research and development plan, and improving policymakers’ understanding of spectrum issues.

The agency took public comments on the implementation plan until January 2.