Abstract
As the importance and demand for access to the radio spectrum (“spectrum”) continues to increase, identifying the “highest and best” uses of spectrum looms ever larger in the minds of regulators and stakeholders. This increasing focus is due in part to the reality that spectrum allocation decisions are often mired in extended and recurring fights that delay the implementation of new uses and technologies. To foster productive discussions among a wide variety of stakeholders about why these challenges occur and what can be done to remedy them, the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Law School held a conference October 7 and 8, 2022. The conference built off the work of Silicon Flatirons’ Spectrum Policy Roundtable in March 2022[1] and convened stakeholders from a diverse range of commercial, academic, technical, and regulatory backgrounds to explore the policy, legal, institutional, technical, economic, and social conflicts that arise when multiple interests angle for the same spectrum resources.
[1] Silicon Flatirons’ March 2022 Roundtable was held in Washington, D.C. At the Roundtable, many knowledgeable and well-respected spectrum experts with technical, policy, and commercial backgrounds came together to identify key challenges facing spectrum management. Particular challenges identified by the participants included identifying common language and vocabulary across the field; fostering mutual trust, respect, and collaboration; and “applying advanced technology to enable a future of dynamic spectrum sharing.” One of the specific goals of this conference was to address these identified challenges and develop concrete recommendations to resolve them. See Stacey Weber, Silicon Flatirons Center, Resolving Interference Conflicts Among “Highest and Best” Uses of Radio Spectrum 3 (2022), https://siliconflatirons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/FY22-Spectrum-Policy-Roundtable-Ouctomes-Report.pdf.