April 2024

Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum on Modernizing United States Spectrum Policy and Establishing a National Spectrum Strategy, November 13, 2023, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), released a National Spectrum Strategy (Strategy), November 13, 2023. The word “spectrum” in this context refers to the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Strategic Objective 3.2 of the Strategy directs the U.S. Government, through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and in coordination with the Federal agencies, to develop a National Spectrum Research and Development Plan (R&D Plan). On behalf of OSTP, NITRD NCO sought public input for the creation of the R&D Plan. The RFI was published in the Federal Register on February 20, 2024 (89 FR 12871). The R&D Plan will act as an organizing national document, providing guidance for government investments in spectrum-related research and offering valuable insights. The R&D Plan will identify key innovation areas for spectrum research and development and will include a process to refine and enhance these areas on an ongoing basis.

As directed in the recent National Spectrum Strategy, the NITRD Wireless Spectrum R&D Interagency Working Group (WSRD IWG) is working on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop the National Spectrum R&D Plan. This workshop is an opportunity for academia, industry, and the public to engage in dialog with the WSRD IWG authors on the potential content of that plan. Agencies of the WSRD IWG are conducting a workshop as a follow-up to the recent Request for Information (RFI) on the National Spectrum Research and Development Plan in which the NITRD NCO sought public input for the creation of the National Spectrum R&D Plan. The R&D Plan will act as an organizing national document, providing guidance for government investments in spectrum-related research and offering valuable insights. The Plan will identify key innovation areas for spectrum research and development and will include a process to refine and enhance these areas on an ongoing basis. This workshop will provide an opportunity for the RFI respondents and others from academia, industry, and the public to engage in open dialog with the spectrum community and WSRD IWG authors on the potential content of the National Spectrum R&D Plan.