President Donald Trump has announced, through a Presidential Memorandum, the creation of a new national spectrum policy dubbed “Developing a Sustainable Spectrum Strategy for America’s Future.” The memorandum summarizes the country’s new spectrum policy, which is “to use radiofrequency spectrum (spectrum) as efficiently and effectively as possible to help meet our economic, national security, science, safety, and other Federal mission goals now and in the future.” It directs all federal agency and department heads to notify NTIA of their current and future spectrum needs and directs the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to deliver a report to the President on emerging technologies and recommendations for research and development priorities. The memorandum directs NTIA, together with the FCC, OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit an annual report to the White House’s Director of the National Economic Council and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs on the progress of existing government efforts, future spectrum re-purposing plans, and long-term legislative and regulatory recommendations for managing spectrum. It also creates a new “Spectrum Strategy Task Force”, consisting of various Executive Branch appointees, that is tasked with implementing the Presidential Memorandum in consultation with the FCC. Finally, the memorandum clarifies some of the important rights and duties held by the various Executive Branch agencies and federal departments in light of the changes made by the memorandum.
