The resulting regulatory framework—dividing spectrum management between the President and an independent regulatory body—is rooted both in the President’s responsibility for national defense and in the fulfillment of federal agencies’ missions, and the encouragement and recognition by the federal government of the investment made by private enterprise in radio and other communications services. Facilitating Spectrum Allocations

The current shared U.S. spectrum management structure has methods for allocating spectrum for new uses and users of wireless services, but these methods have occasionally resulted in lengthy negotiations between FCC and NTIA over how to resolve some allocation issues. However, we heard differences of opinion about the United States’ preparatory process for the conferences. Encouraging Efficient Federal Spectrum Use

NTIA has several activities to encourage efficient spectrum use by the federal government, but does not have assurance that these activities are effective. NTIA is required to promote the efficient and cost-effective use of the federal spectrum that it manages—over 270,000 federal frequency assignments at the end of 2000—“to the maximum extent feasible.” NTIA has directed agencies to use only as much spectrum as they need. NTIA authorizes federal agency use of the spectrum through its frequency assignment process.
What GAO Found

As new technologies that depend on the radio spectrum continue to be developed and used more widely, managing the spectrum can grow increasingly challenging. The current legal framework for domestic spectrum management evolved as a compromise over the questions of who should determine the distribution of the spectrum among competing users and what standard should be applied in making this determination. Although initially, all responsibility for spectrum management was placed in the executive branch, this responsibility has been divided between the executive branch for managing federal use and an independent commission for managing non-federal use since 1927 . The current shared U.S. spectrum management system has processes for allocating spectrum, but these processes have occasionally resulted in lengthy negotiations between the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) over allocation issues. The United States also faces challenges in effectively preparing for World Radiocommunication Conferences. NTIA has several activities to encourage efficient spectrum use by federal agencies, but it lacks the assurance that these activities are effective. NTIA is required to promote efficiency in the federal spectrum it manages, which included more than 270,000 federal frequency assignments at the end of 2000. To do this, NTIA directs federal agencies to use only as much of the spectrum as they need.