Robert Peters
There is a huge debate going on right now in Washington regarding the electromagnetic spectrum.
The crux of the debate centers around whether the Federal government should auction additional portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to private industry, or if it should refrain from doing so in the name of national security.
The portions of the electromagnetic spectrum in question are those that fall between 3.1 to 3.45 gigahertz (GHz) and 7 and 8 GHz. Telecommunication companies for years have utilized parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to deliver faster internet speeds, more reliable connectivity, and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
By auctioning off additional parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, as the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved to do earlier this month, the government could not only reap billions of dollars in tax revenues, but also enable advances in wireless technology in the private sector that could support the development of driverless cars, more reliable remote surgeries, or other types of technological breakthroughs.
President Trump indicated in a May 20 post that the U.S. government should auction off large chunks of the spectrum in order to ensure that the United States can remain a world-leader in 6G technologies and WiFi accessibility. These are critically important goals, and President Trump is correct that America must remain a leader in these technology areas.
Such an auction, however, could come with a significant cost if certain parts of the spectrum were not fenced off for national security reasons.
In particular, the 3.1 to 3.45 GHz band of the spectrum that may be auctioned off is currently reserved for military applications and are critical to missile defenses such as the Navy’s Aegis system. These systems are central to defending against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles—all of which are required if the United States is going to build the Golden Dome for America missile defense architecture.
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