DeepSig recognizes the importance and timeliness of the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to understand the usage of non-federal spectrum.¹ As non-federal spectrum usage increasingly becomes multifaceted, the imperative need for scalable and cost-effective solutions that provide real-time spectrum usage information cannot be overstated. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are here not just as theoretical constructs but as practical tools ready to be deployed for efficient spectrum sensing, monitoring, and management. “AI can provide insights that help better understand network usage, support greater spectrum efficiency, and improve resiliency by making it possible to heal networks on their own²,” writes FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
DeepSig suggests the FCC should consider AI as a cornerstone for future spectrum management strategies due to its efficiency, economy, and environmental friendliness. AI’s unparalleled efficiency allows it to sense and optimize spectrum utilization effectively and promptly. It meticulously identifies and analyzes patterns, allocates data, and furnishes real-time information, ensuring spectrum resources are aptly utilized and allocated for immediate and future needs.
From an economic standpoint, AI diminishes operational costs, minimizes the need for continuous manual monitoring, and offers improved real-time awareness of spectrum utilization. The precision of AI-driven spectrum management ensures resources are judiciously managed, making it the best option for an undertaking as large as this.
Furthermore, like the FCC, DeepSig contributes positively to environmental sustainability. Unlike traditional methods that rely on energy-intensive hardware, AI-driven approaches are predominantly software-centric, requiring less energy, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of the telecommunications sector.
DeepSig recommends that the FCC actively incentivize and promote the development and deployment of wireless sensing technologies. “Finding new ways to make more spectrum available is vital to our economic success and national security,” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks noted, underscoring the necessity of innovation in this sector.³ By issuing cost-sharing grants and providing financial support for companies developing commercial wireless sensing solutions, the FCC will be making a pivotal investment in the future of spectrum management, encouraging further private investment and fostering innovation and efficiency in technology deployment for public benefit.
For a deeper and more nuanced understanding of non-federal spectrum usage, DeepSig proposes that the FCC consider:
- Expanding Research & Development: Actively supporting the development of AI and ML technologies for spectrum management, which will play a crucial role in understanding and optimizing non-federal spectrum usage.
- Making Spectrum Usage Data Available: Facilitating access to relevant data for AI researchers and developers, which will accelerate the development and deployment of AI-driven spectrum management solutions.
- Adoption of AI/ML Sensing Solutions: Promoting the incorporation of commercial AI and ML sensing solutions across various spectrum access systems, both public and private, to ensure efficient and optimized spectrum utilization.
DeepSig emphasizes the importance of AI and ML in understanding and managing non-federal spectrum usage, offering specific recommendations for the FCC’s consideration. AI and ML not only provide deep insights into spectrum utilization trends and dynamics but also promise to revolutionize spectrum allocation and management through automation, thereby enhancing efficiency and flexibility in spectrum management processes.
In response to the NOI, DeepSig highlights the imperative need for industry-driven solutions and collaboration to navigate the intricate landscape of non-federal spectrum usage. AI and ML stand out as transformative technologies, and more importantly, they promise automation in spectrum allocation and management, thereby enhancing efficiency and flexibility in the process.
We’ve proposed specific recommendations for the FCC, emphasizing the adoption of commercial AI/ML sensing solutions. These suggestions, grounded in efficiency, economy, and environmental sustainability, aim to usher in an era of efficient spectrum management beneficial to both industry stakeholders and the broader public.
DeepSig is steadfast in its commitment to contributing to this transformative journey, ready and willing to support the FCC in shaping the future of wireless technology. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) at the helm, the future indeed looks promising, and together, we can make it a reality.
Read DeepSig’s full comments here.
¹ Advancing Understanding of Non-Federal Spectrum Usage, Notice of Inquiry, WT Docket No. 23-232, FCC 23-63
² Id. at ¶ 18.
³ Id. at ¶ 19.
