The Technology Policy Institute’s sixth webinar of the 2025 Winter Spectrum Series entitled “International Spectrum Leadership” included Scott Blake Harris, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Crest Hill Advisors, Umair Javed, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, CTIA – The Wireless Association, Jennifer Manner, ZScientific, LLC, Tricia Paoletta, Partner, HWG LLP, and Sarah Oh Lam of the Technology Policy Institute (moderator).
Key takeaways:
- WRC-27 Location Concerns
- Lack of Clear U.S. Positions Undermines International Influence
- Early Leadership Appointment Essential for Building Relationships
- Growing BRICS Influence Creates Regional Challenges
- Shifting Global Politics Affects Traditional Spectrum Partnerships
- Lunar Spectrum Competition Sets Future Regulatory Precedents
- Preventing Mission Creep at the ITU Remains Critical
WRC-27 Location Concerns: There is serious concern about China potentially hosting the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). This would create significant challenges for U.S. delegation participation from industry and government due to technology restrictions, sanctions, and other security concerns.
Inefficient Decision-Making Hampers U.S. International Advocacy: The U.S. process for developing positions for international spectrum conferences is considered by many to be broken. It takes too long to develop positions, hampering the U.S.’s ability to effectively advocate internationally and build consensus with allies. The process also lacks transparency on how final positions are ultimately developed.
Lack of Clear U.S. Positions Undermines International Influence: The U.S. government needs to be more decisive in formulating spectrum policy decisions, even when consensus cannot be reached among all stakeholders. Not having clear positions weakened U.S. influence at WRC-23, sometimes resulting in U.S. representatives being unable to engage in negotiations.
Early Leadership Appointment Essential for Building Relationships: The U.S. needs to appoint a senior official or ambassador early in the process to allow sufficient time to develop relationships and coordinate positions before WRC-27. A longer runway than just the standard 6-month special government employee appointment would be beneficial.
Growing BRICS Influence Creates Regional Challenges: Panelists noted a schism within the Americas region, with Brazil and Mexico becoming more open to China’s positions. Meanwhile, BRICS countries have become extremely cohesive and effective at the ITU, requiring the U.S. to work harder at building regional alliances.
Shifting Global Politics Affects Traditional Spectrum Partnerships: The changing nature of international relationships may affect traditional spectrum alliances. The U.S. needs to start building support earlier in the process, as spectrum decisions at WRC aren’t made purely on technical grounds but can involve broader political considerations.
Lunar Spectrum Competition Sets Future Regulatory Precedents: The panel highlighted growing international competition around lunar spectrum rights and communications systems. This is becoming a critical area that could set precedents for future planetary communications regulation. This includes commercial networks between Earth and the moon.
Preventing Mission Creep at the ITU Remains Critical: Panelists stressed the importance of preventing expansion of ITU jurisdiction beyond its core functions of spectrum allocation and protecting users from harmful interference, noting that the U.S. has been fighting this expansion for decades.
Interagency Cooperation and Multilateral Participation Review: Panelists noted positive cooperation between U.S. federal agencies (FCC, NTIA, State) at WRC-23, suggested the increased role of private sector members of the U.S. delegation to build international support at WRC-27, and discussed the implications of the Trump administration’s executive order mandating a review of U.S. participation in multilateral organizations, including the ITU.
Sarah Oh Lam is a Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute. Oh completed her PhD in Economics from George Mason University, and holds a JD from GMU and a BS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University. She was previously the Operations and Research Director for the Information Economy Project at George Mason School of Law. She has also presented research at the 39th Telecommunications Policy Research Conference and has co-authored work published in the Northwestern Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property among other research projects. Her research interests include law and economics, regulatory analysis, and technology policy.
Scott Wallsten is President and Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute and also a senior fellow at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. He is an economist with expertise in industrial organization and public policy, and his research focuses on competition, regulation, telecommunications, the economics of digitization, and technology policy. He was the economics director for the FCC's National Broadband Plan and has been a lecturer in Stanford University’s public policy program, director of communications policy studies and senior fellow at the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a senior fellow at the AEI – Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, an economist at The World Bank, a scholar at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and a staff economist at the U.S. President’s Council of Economic Advisers. He holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University.
