PARTIAL SUPPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON RADIO FREQUENCIES

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The National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Radio Frequencies is comprised of prominent scientists and engineers who provide studies and advice to the Academy on issues involving scientific uses of the radio spectrum. Such uses often involve techniques and applications that are outside the realm of traditional radio spectrum applications. The Committee provides advice and guidance to the FCC (through filings in appropriate FCC proceedings) and other regulatory bodies toward the adoption of spectrum rules and policies needed to protect sensitive science applications that make use of the radio spectrum, particularly in the fields of radio astronomy, meteorology, remote sensing, oceanography, and some other sciences. Because of the multi-disciplinary aspect of the Committee's goals, it is supported by both the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The full Committee, comprised of 15 members, meets regularly, twice a year, and between meetings it works on crafting comments and other written documents in response to various regulatory proceedings. Some recent publications are: Handbook of Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses (National Academies Press, 2007) and Spectrum Management for Science in the 21st Century (National Academies Press, 2009). The Committee also sends representatives to appropriate meetings of scientific (e.g., the International Union of Radio Scientists) and policy-setting bodies (e.g., the International Telecommunication Union) to help publicize their positions. Intellectual merit: This proposal is not for scientific research, but it constitutes fundamental support for protecting the infrastructure that allows carrying out such research. There is a need to protect the scientific uses of the spectrum, particularly in view of the ever increasing number of commercial uses, particularly wireless applications. Broader impact: 1) Without CORF as a watchdog, much of radio astronomy and remote sensing might become impossible within just a few years, as the radio spectrm becomes more and more crowded. 2) CORF's outreach activities to specialized audiences, such as the FCC and to the general public, about the need of scientists to have access to portions of the radio spectrum and 3) CORF's attempt to involve younger scientists in engineering and spectrum management issues are also deemed to contribute to the broader impact of the committee. The Committee maintains a website, where CORF filings are available, along with presentations at the meetings and other useful information.