Download Secondary Use of Spectrum: A Survey of the Issues

Secondary Use of Spectrum: A Survey of the Issues
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University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh PA 15260
19 November 2003
Abstract
In November 2002, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Spectrum Policy
Task Force (SPTF) issued its report. The overall goal of the spectrum review it conducted
was to find ways to use existing spectrum more efficiently. The SPTF found that much
spectrum that was assigned and allocated was unused in many areas much of the time.
Secondary use was proposed as a means by which this otherwise idle spectrum could be used
on a temporary basis. While this idea has considerable merit in principle, it raises numerous
technical, institutional, and economic problems that must be resolved before it can become a
reality. In this paper, we outline these problems with the primary intent on establishing a
research agenda in this area.