Title: A Standardized Approach to Digital Spectrum Policy Management for Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

Presenters: Howard McDonald, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency, USA; Darcy Swain, The MITRE Corporation, USA; David Fritz, The MITRE Corporation, USA

Abstract: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) is currently engaged in a broad set of research and development efforts relating to the technical, operational, regulatory, and standardization of Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) capabilities for mission related applications. The DSO is converging on the use of a policy-based management approach as the fundamental source of situational awareness for DSA radios to base their transmission decisions. While sensing and other data sources may eventually augment the decision making capability, systems based on digital spectrum policy will be the first step in the DSA evolution. While DSO is moving in the direction of a digital spectrum policy approach for DSA, industry is creating unique solutions to deploy DSA within well defined service rules. These solutions lack the flexibility that digital spectrum policy has the potential to provide. This presentation will explore the similarities and differences between the DSO and industry approaches to DSA, and propose areas where convergence is necessary to enable more flexible spectrum use.