I would also like to introduce Michele Farquhar, NTIA's Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Radio spectrum is an extremely valuable part of our daily lives.
Anytime we listen to the radio traffic report, watch an Orioles game on TV, make a call from a cellular phone, or travel via airplane, we are taking advantage of the radio spectrum. Indeed, these activities represent only a small portion of the spectrum's usefulness. Radio spectrum is a limited resource that must be shared by private industry and the government. If two users, such as the Army and your local police force, occupy the same block of spectrum simultaneously, interference occurs and neither signal is clearly received. The Government employs spectrum in law enforcement, air traffic safety, disaster relief, command and control of the military forces, protection of our national parks, our national space program, and much more.