Gallagher Pledges to Protect DoD Spectrum from Interference
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- NTIA Dir. Michael Gallagher defended his agency’s work to promote the sharing of spectrum between the Dept. of Defense and business. He told DoD listeners Thurs. here their interests would be protected. Gallagher faced skeptical questions from an audience of DoD spectrum officials protective of their frequencies at the department’s 4th Annual Spectrum Management Summit.
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In a keynote address, Gallagher highlighted the work of NTIA, including the June 24 release of twin reports on the use of spectrum in the 21st century, focusing in part on govt. users. Gallagher said “the path forward” will involve increased spectrum sharing, with commercial users gaining access to DoD bands and the military using formerly exclusive private sector spectrum. DoD spectrum users have long stressed the risks they face and the growing need for spectrum to be used by DoD even as commercial demands also accelerate.
“I got a feeling from your comments that you're outlining a direction for the future dependent on the need to sustain the U.S. economy on the back of DoD spectrum,” one attendee told the NTIA chief: “As a spectrum manager -- as one of many in the Department of Defense -- I sort of feel like there’s a stake being driven in my lawn saying, ‘You'd better comply or else.’… When you're looking for efficiency in the use of spectrum you must be careful that you never transgress the loss of effectiveness.”
“We have approached the Pentagon in a spirit of partnership and technical trust from the very beginning,” Gallagher said: “There is no notion, there is no agenda… that says we're going to do this on the backs of DoD. That’s not going to happen. In fact the path forward that we've charted is one that says if you're going to take spectrum away from federal govt. users you have to provide comparable spectrum. It means you have to replace it.” Gallagher emphasized the significance of the 10 MHz testbed, which is to be allocated in part to test for interference between govt. and commercial users providing some certainty against interference.
Gallagher told us many DoD spectrum managers see potential benefits they could receive from sharing spectrum. “There always is a group here that is very concerned, based on past history, that this type of sharing doesn’t turn out well in the end,” he said. “We believe the path forward is sharing. It’s all over the presentation I made. We look at technologies today, what we're capable of doing with silicon and with software and we're very optimistic that we'll find these technological paths forward.”
DoD and other officials at the conference said spectrum sharing entails both risks and potential benefits. Most said their natural tendency is to view sharing proposals with skepticism. “I don’t think I have met one [govt. spectrum manager] yet who desired to share the spectrum they have,” said Karl Nebbia, deputy associate dir. of the NTIA. “Trust is a… factor,” said Badri Younes, a DoD dir.-spectrum management. “You need to find a way to establish rules and processes… When you have a garage door opener able to shut down a major radar [system], there’s a problem and something has to be fixed.”
Col. Michael Carroll, commander of the Joint Spectrum Center, said he chose to wear a civilian suit instead of his Air Force uniform Thurs. to downplay differences between the 2 worlds. “If I came in here all nice and spit-shiny wearing my uniform I definitely would stand out from these other gentlemen in here wearing a suit and tie,” he said. “If we continue to emphasize all the differences we're never going to reach any kind of consensus or find a common ground so we can begin to share.”