Spectrum Issues: Ultra-Wideband Operations

May 20, 2003

Holiday Inn Hotel

Rosslyn, VA

James E. Hollansworth

NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Spectrum Managers Association

Current Issues

• Protection of existing public safety and space science spectrum dependent services from RFI– UWB– MSS ATC– Other “new” unlicensed services/devices

• Unregulated spectrum usage on a widespread scale will inevitably lead to an increased man-made noise environment

Ultra-wideband Regulatory Activities

• Report & Order released May, 2002– Numerous Petitions for Reconsideration filed

• Additional Order allowing legacy Ground Penetrating Radars released July, 2002

• Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of Proposed Rule Making adopted by FCC February 13, 2003, released March 12, 2003

– Published in Federal Register/Vol 68 No. 77/Tuesday, April 22, 2003 Rules and Regulation Pages 19746-19752

– Published in Federal Register/Vol 68, No.77/Tuesday, April 22, 2003/Proposed Rules Pages 19773-19777

– Anticipate Numerous Petitions for Reconsideration to be filed

UWB Activities

• FCC approves “first” UWB device– Time Domain’s PulsOn200 chip set “meets” FCC UWB

rules– Device reportedly emits “unintentional” radiation in 1-3

GHz range– FCC interpretation of R&O rules in question

• Sets dangerous precedent

• Authorization expected to be challenged

– MultiSpectral Solutions Inc. Spider 650 “meets” FCC UWB rules.

Ultrawideband (UWB) Characteristics / Concerns

• UWB proponents seek to manufacture unlicensed commercial UWB devices that will occupy frequencies allocated to other services • Forecast commercial applications in 10’s/100’s of millions

• Aggregation effects raise the noise floor and interfere with low-power signals first (GPS, space sensors, astronomical RF signals, etc)

A Monocycle Pulse in Time and Frequency

Optical Effects of Single Light Source

Effects of Multiple City Light Sources

Light Pollution in the USA

Immediate UWB Concerns

• Why does NASA care?• Impacts to multiple bands

– Not limited to UWB, but with a variety of new technologies • Devices proposing to operate unlicensed.• Operational densities which could raise the Noise Floor.

• NASA, DOT/FAA, NOAA, DOE and the private sector are coordinating in a time-urgent effort– NASA is conducting a thorough Noise Floor Study (2 Parts)

• University effort to characterize & model UWB effects• Interference effects testing & simulations

– DoD and DOT/FAA are conducting related analysis and testing efforts

• Adequate time is needed to permit systematic scientific assessments to be performed and peer-reviewed

NASA UWB Investigation• NASA/LaRC EMC testing reveals potential RFI from

UWB to aircraft avionics June, 2002

• NASA initiating a broad program of investigation of effects from FCC approved UWB devices – Effects on noise floor in select frequency bands– Effects on aircraft avionics and GPS signal reception – Collaboration with other Federal Agencies and Departments– Collaboration with private industry.

• Efforts expected to aid in quantifying potential impact of UWB emissions prior to FCC release of “new R&O”– Provide sound scientific/engineering basis for safe and efficient

regulation of UWB operations.– We were able to support the first R&O and MO&O

NASA UWB Study Organization

NASA Headquarters

Warren Martin

Advisory Board

James HollansworthPat Eblan

Rodney SpenceJohn Postelle

Experts

Bob Fontana (MSSI)Gerry Fuller (EWI)

Noise Floor Effects CharacterizationMeasurements and Modeling

Stanford University

RFI EffectsAvionics & E911

Langley Research Center

RFI EffectsRange Applications

Kennedy Space Center

Clemson UniversityTBD Unviversity

(Ohio University)

RFI EffectsSpace Applications

Johnson Space Center

RFI EffectsAntenna Measurements/ATC Comm

Glenn Research Center

RFI EffectsSpace Science & Data Networks

Goddard Space Flight CenterAmes Research Center

Current NASA Recommendation

• No further changes to UWB rulemaking until results of ongoing noise floor analyses and interference test efforts have been subjected to peer-review by all stakeholders and made available to the public