Federal Long-Range Spectrum Plan

The United States is vitally dependent upon the use of the radio spectrum to carry out national policies and achieve national goals. Use of the spectrum is vital to the security and welfare of the Nation and to the conduct of its foreign affairs. This use exerts a powerful influence upon our everyday lives, in countless ways, annually contributing significantly to the Nation’s growth and economy. The radio spectrum is a limited natural resource which is accessible to all nations. It is imperative that we develop and administer our use of this resource wisely so as to maintain a free democratic society and to stimulate the healthy growth of the Nation, while ensuring its availability to serve future requirements in the best interest of the Nation. Therefore, consistent with our international treaty obligations and with due regard for the rights of other nations, the national objectives for the use of the radio spectrum are to make effective, efficient, and prudent use of the spectrum in the best interest of the Nation, with care to conserve it for uses where other means of communication are not available or feasible. This revised NIA report details the policies and plans geared towards government oversight of the national radio spectrum, an asset we cannot afford to overlook.