Interruptible spectrum
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Radio frequencies or spectrum are a common resource that are shared by many radio users. If spectrum was unlimited, it would be easy to assign each users a unique frequency. But realistic spectrum management requires users to share the available resource.
Interruptible spectrum is a concept for sharing spectrum among multiple prioritized users. It is based on interruptible concepts in other public utilities, mainly the electric power industry, where the commodity is made available at a low price provided that it can be preempted under stated circumstances by other users. The application of this concept to spectrum was first proposed in a conference paper by Federal Communications Commission(FCC) staffers Mark Bykowsky and Michael Marcus in 2002.
In 2003, FCC proposed in Docket 03-108 to use interruptible spectrum for sharing public safety spectrum that has low average use but high peak use with commercial users subject to immediate interruption. In 2004 it decided to implement this proposal by in the narrow context of public safety users sharing with only other local and state government users.
In 2006, FCC proposed in Docket 06-229 that the could be used for sharing public safety spectrum with commercial users in former UHF-TV spectrum after the transition to digital television.
