EAGER: Toward a Decentralized Cross-administrator Zone Management System: Policy and Technology

无线频谱拥塞问题限制了无线通信和传感的发展，这对现代社会的方方面面都是必不可少的。本项目研究分布式分类帐技术(DLT)的使用，其中著名的例子是区块链，以支持自动和安全的动态分配机制，以提高频谱效率和可用性。该项目探索将DLT用于互不信任区域管理系统(ZMS)之间的交互，ZMS是一种通用的自动频谱管理机制，包括目前部署的频谱接入系统和未来的衍生品。多个ZMS必须协作，即使它们彼此不信任，就像在当前的SA中，竞争的管理员管理单个共享频段，或者在未来的无线电动态区，如射电望远镜天文台，天文台ZMS与ZMS为邻近的移动无线运营商来回交换频谱。与当前的SAS设计相比，DLT的使用实现了一种新的协作方法，该方法可以更快地达成协议，提供更优化的结果，更好地保护免受恶意ZMS攻击，更容易受到监管机构的审计，并增强频谱用户的数据隐私。该项目从技术和政策角度调查ZMS协作的DLT，并寻求影响未来的联邦通信委员会法规。目前，多个SA之间的协作依赖于每个SA对相同的输入数据运行相同的决策算法。本项目中探索的新架构假设每个ZMS对专有数据运行专有决策算法，从而在提高效率的同时增强创新和灵活性，并通过分布式协议过程和可审计的记录实现一致的频谱分配决策，以防止作弊。在新的架构内，该项目侧重于保护隐私的信息交换和参与ZMS之间的拜占庭弹性协作的政策和使能技术。项目工作包括：(1)评估多种DLT技术，如比区块链更节能的桩证系统。(2)确定ZMS之间必须交换的基本数据。(3)开发一个轻量级(即有时间限制)、安全、可靠和可信的基于DLT的任务分配协议。(4)探索一种降低协议执行复杂度的离链安全合同执行方法。(5)应用多方计算和可信执行环境等隐私增强技术，保护ZMS专有数据和算法以及频谱用户的隐私。(6)调查满足FCC政策目标的方法，如确保连续渠道和地理分配的方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The problem of radio spectrum congestion limits the growth of wireless communications and sensing, which is essential for all aspects of modern society. This project investigates use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), of which the famous example is Blockchain, to support automated and secure dynamic allocation mechanisms that enhance spectrum efficiency and availability. The project explores use of DLT for interaction among mutually distrustful Zone Management Systems (ZMS), a general category of automatic spectrum management mechanisms that includes currently deployed Spectrum Access Systems and future derivatives. Multiple ZMS must collaborate even though they do not trust each other, as in current SAS where competing administrators manage a single shared band, or in future radio dynamic zones like a radio telescope observatory where the observatory ZMS trades spectrum back and forth with the ZMS for a neighboring mobile wireless operator. Use of DLT enables a new collaboration approach that reaches agreement faster, delivers more optimal outcomes, is better protected against malicious ZMS, is more auditable by regulators, and enhances data privacy for spectrum users compared to current SAS designs. This project investigates DLT for ZMS collaboration from technical and policy perspectives and seeks to impact future Federal Communications Commission regulations.Collaboration among multiple SAS today relies on each SAS running the same decision algorithm on the same input data. The new architecture explored in this project assumes each ZMS runs a proprietary decision algorithm on proprietary data – which increases efficiency while enhancing innovation and flexibility – and achieves coherent spectrum assignment decisions through a distributed agreement process and an auditable record to prevent cheating. Within the new architecture, this project focuses on policies and enabling technologies for privacy-preserving information exchange and Byzantine-resilient collaboration among participating ZMS. Project work includes: (1) Evaluate multiple DLT technologies such as proof-of-stake systems that are more energy-efficient than Blockchain. (2) Identify essential data that must be exchanged among ZMS. (3) Develop a lightweight (i.e., time bounded), secure, reliable, and trustworthy DLT-based protocol for assignments. (4) Explore an off-chain secure contract execution approach to reduce protocol execution complexity. (5) Apply privacy-enhancing technologies including multiparty computation and trusted execution environments to safeguard the privacy of ZMS proprietary data and algorithms and spectrum users. (6) Investigate methods to satisfy FCC policy goals such as ways to assure contiguous channel and geographic assignments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.