November 10^th will mean more than just the Marine Corp’s birthday. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee will meet on that date to discuss findings and recommendations from its four subcommittees: Search for 500 Mhz; Spectrum Sharing; Spectrum Management Improvements; and Unlicensed.

The committee advises the assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, particularly in the area of spectrum policies and management.

Do you think this agency is doing a good job advising on optimal use, location, and management of this vital national resource?

Sometimes we policy wonks and tech geeks get so comfortable inside the bubble that we forget that a growing number of our audience includes people who may not even know how a radio works and, I suspect, might not even have a radio. So, if my six regular readers will indulge me, I’d like to point you to two good sources that describe what spectrum is and how it’s used in communications.

The first source can be found at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/roosa1.html. This link takes you to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s online description of the spectrum.

Another good site is located at http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio-spectrum.htm. The site is called HowStuffWorks. This is a good site particularly for those of us, myself included, who only get as geeky as an old Star Trek episode. It provides the same info as the NTIA’s site but is not as technical.

Just keep in mind that spectrum is a range of light. Some of it you can see. Some of it you can’t. This light moves in waves which is why radio signals can travel short or long distances.

As the FCC’s discussion of spectrum progresses, these resources will come in handy.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is moving along in its efforts to free up 500 MHZ of spectrum over the next ten years. The NTIA announced yesterday that it is evaluating the feasibility of using the 1755-1850 MHZ band for commercial use. This band is currently being used by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

While the FCC has jurisdiction over frequencies used in the private sector, NTIA has jurisdiction over spectrum used by the federal government.