FCC Wants Blockchain For Managing Wireless Spectrums
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking at the possibility of utilizing blockchain. Basically, it is hoping to use the technology when it comes to monitoring and managing wireless spectrums in an attempt to support the Internet of things (IoT) and its growing requirements.
Taking Advantage of Blockchain
According to Juniper Research, it is very likely for at least 50 billion connected IoT devices and sensors come 2022. In fact, the agency is hell-bent at finding a way to manage all required frequencies – one that is deemed more transparent and efficient.
In an MIT conference, Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC Commissioner, said that a foreseeable world with great numbers of IoT devices will require a “real-time market.” The latter, she claims, is complete of opposite of today’s licensing system, which she claims to be “clunky.”
Rosenworcel added that the world right now has a registry, all coming from these licenses. However, when talking about it on a day to day basis, there is yet to be a “great clarity” when it comes to what is being utilized and what is not. She believes that if this one is added on a public blockchain, there will be a record of where the demand is coming from and for what airwaves exactly.
How Blockchain Can Help
As for right now, spectrums are being auctioned off one at a time. The process, however, is deemed to be complex and slow to manage, not to mention the fact that it is expensive. Add to this the fact that they are a short supply. The FCC, though, has the option to share them, as well as have the rights to use a variety of bands at different priority levels.
Rosenworcel claimed that if the aforementioned process is achieved, a deluge of efficiencies can exist. More importantly, it can start moving the system from one of scarcity to a process that is manageable even in relative abundance.
The FCC is currently performing research on how the technology can help and it deems a “thought experiment.” Even more so, the agency has already started discussions with a good number of tech firms, hoping to expedite the research. Interestingly, blockchain is just one of the many options the watchdog is looking at. It is also looking at the possibility of using traditional bases, with the aim of using them for the same purpose.