NITRD seeks spectrum R&D information on behalf of White House
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program National Coordination Office (NCO) is requesting information about spectrum research and development in order to assist the White House in developing a national plan.
NITRD NCO, through the National Science Foundation, issued a request for information on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to further the development and innovation areas of the National Spectrum Research and Development Plan, according to the notice.
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, according to the notice, aims to identify “key innovation areas” in R&D and offer a process to enhance the areas on a consistent basis.
The request is part of President Joe Biden’s November 2023 memorandum on Modernizing United States Spectrum Policy and Establishing a National Spectrum Strategy.
The requested information includes “recommendations on strategies for conducting spectrum research in a manner that minimizes unnecessary duplication, ensures that all essential spectrum research areas are sufficiently explored and achieves measurable advancements in state-of-the-art spectrum science and engineering.”
The identified “priority areas” as laid out in the notice involve spectrum utilization efficiency, dynamic spectrum access and management, automatic and rapid mitigation of interference problems and others.
NITRD’s Wireless Spectrum Research and Development Interagency Working Group, or WSRD IWG, is tasked by OSTP with drafting and coordinating the R&D plan, which is expected to be released in “late 2024,” according to the request for information.
Correction, Feb. 23, 2024: A previous version of this article stated that NSF was working in concert with NITRD on the RFI. This was based on information in the Federal Register notice and from a spokesperson that overstated the agency’s role.
