500 MHz Initiative

In this report, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) presents a summary of the results of its quantitative assessments of spectrum usage in response to the 2013 Presidential Memorandum entitled Expanding America’s Leadership in Wireless Innovation. Through this memorandum, the President sought to make more spectrum available by allowing and encouraging shared access by commercial providers to spectrum that is currently allocated for federal use.

NTIA today is announcing the development of another tool to help meet the surging demand for spectrum from industry and government agencies.  It also is the latest demonstration of the Obama Administration’s ongoing commitment to make spectrum available for wireless broadband.

As directed by President Obama in a 2013 Memorandum, NTIA is releasing the Quantitative Assessments of Spectrum Usage that summarizes our initial efforts to evaluate a range of federal spectrum bands for possible sharing with commercial users.  These efforts will provide a basis for further detailed studies of potential sharing scenarios.

NTIA submits this Sixth Interim Progress Report to describe progress toward achieving the Administration’s directive to identify and make available 500 megahertz of spectrum for licensed and unlicensed wireless broadband services within ten years, while assuring the protection of vital government operations that rely on spectrum. This report covers October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015 (FY15).