It was a genuine pleasure to listen to David Redl’s recent Senate testimony in support of his nomination as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA). In the NTIA’s role as principal adviser to the President on telecommunications policies, they are responsible for managing federal government spectrum. Redl reaffirmed the NTIA’s commitment to find ways to protect federal mission-critical interests while promoting commercial use of spectrum – the essence of the CBRS spectrum sharing scheme that the NTIA and FCC helped develop.
In case you don’t have time to listen to the entire hearing, here are some of my favorite quotes from Redl’s testimony:
“Spectrum is the invisible infrastructure of our digital economy, and it enables our increasingly mobile society”
“Demand for spectrum continues to grow as smart cities, connected cars, and 5G wireless technologies become closer to widespread deployment.”
“My commitment is that the needs of our national government spectrum users are balanced with the continuing need for additional licensed and unlicensed commercial spectrum.”
“We will continue to search for new efficiencies to protect the federal interest in their missions while promoting commercial use. It will take some ingenious approaches on both sides, but we have to be creative.”
“There is always an opportunity for more efficient use of spectrum, and that’s the ongoing challenge, and frankly the fun, of working on spectrum policy.”
It’s just this kind of passion and commitment to innovation that led to the creation of the CBRS shared spectrum program, which is nearing commercial deployment later this year. We look forward to Redl’s confirmation in this role and to continuing to work with the NTIA and FCC on improving shared spectrum use as our technology continues to mature.
