What Are Some Of The Biggest Challenges Facing Regulators Of The Wireless Radio Spectrum?
The biggest challenge facing wireless radio spectrum regulators like the FCC is the crowdedness of the radio waves.
Complications often arise when incumbent licensees are using radio space that was “right next door” to them and the FCC shoehorns a new radio service into an already in-use space – or when receivers make complaints about radio interference from nearby transmitters.
As a result, the FCC is continually making new spectrum allocations and monitoring the activity of licensees. Additionally, crowded radio waves have resulted in actions taken by the FCC to make sure that every spectrum license is put into active use.
In the past, you could hypothetically purchase a spectrum license with no intention of developing it – similar to how you might buy a house only to flip it for a profit later on. Today, the FCC is cracking down on “spectrum warehousing” by making sure that licensees are actually using the spectrum that they have been allocated.
Can You Get A Spectrum License For Potential Future Use?
Yes, you can get a spectrum license for potential future use – but there are specific time restrictions that come into play.
In fact, I have represented companies that have a legitimate business selling a product, but that are unable to complete construction within the FCC-allotted time period. Even those companies that are active in business and will need the spectrum in the future have not been given relief from the FCC outside of the specified time period.
What Is Interference Mitigation?
To have a discussion about interference mitigation, you first need to understand what radio interference entails…
Radio receivers are tuned to a specific frequency in order to receive the operator’s desired transmission. Interference occurs when another, undesired transmission “lands” at the same time as the desired signal, overloading the receiver. When this happens, the receiver cannot distinguish between desired and undesired signals or demodulate the information that was embedded in the desired signal.
This is interference – when two radio waves show up at the same time, in the same place, with the same frequency. Naturally following this, interference mitigation consists of the different techniques that can be used to avoid this problem.
To do this, both transmitters (those who are sending out information) and receivers (those who are taking in information) can take a variety of actions.
For example, a transmitter might use a directional antenna or reduce the level of power they are using to transmit a signal. A receiver, on the other hand, might use filters to help distinguish their desired signal from undesired signals with similar frequencies.
While these tactics can be very successful, it’s still important to note that it is extremely difficult to filter out undesired signals that are on the exact same frequency as a desired signal.
Are Concerns For Spectrum Scarcity Valid?
Concerns for spectrum scarcity are certainly valid, however, you can look at this issue from the perspective of the glass half empty or half full.
On the glass-half-empty side of things, it’s reasonable to be concerned about the fact that all of the licenses have been taken – there’s total use occurring up and down the spectrum.
On the glass-half-full side, you could note that new technology is always coming along. With that new technology, new ways to divide and manage spectrum use emerge, making it possible to squeeze even greater use out of what was previously only a single-user spectrum.
What Are The Issues With Spectrum Allocation?
The greatest issue facing spectrum allocations today is the presence of incumbent users. Each time the spectrum is divided up further and allocated to another licensee, a current licensee will have legitimate interference concerns as this “shoehorning” puts a new service right next to an existing one.
How Do You Keep Up With The Rapid Pace Of Changing Radio Technology?
Once you understand the basic patterns of how radio transmitters and receivers work within certain radiuses, at different power levels, and through varying antenna heights, you have the fundamental knowledge you need to keep learning about how this technology evolves.
These basic configurations form the bedrock of spectrum use, and the developments in technology that come to follow are all variations of these foundational principles. So, whether the newest development is in modulation or interference mitigation, keeping up is often just a matter of staying tuned in.
For more information on Interference Mitigation In The Wireless Radio Spectrum, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (202) 968-2266 today.