To help the Australian Communications and Media Authority better achieve “an appropriate balance” between government use of the radiofrequency spectrum and its use by the broader community, ACMA has commissioned SpectrumWise Radiocommunications Consulting to provide an independent review of government spectrum holdings.

The review will be conducted over the next six months and will involve extensive consultation with spectrum stakeholders. Strong interest and contribution is expected from government stakeholders such as the Department of Defence, in addition to the broader Australian community with an interest in the radiofrequency spectrum.

ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman says: “Due to the growing demand for spectrum from all users, ACMA must sometimes arbitrate on government versus non-government use of the spectrum.

“While it is vital that governments continue to have access to sufficient spectrum to discharge their functions, we need to be forever mindful that spectrum access is emerging world-wide as a ‘key enabler’ for the information economy. As ACMA faces growing demand for spectrum from both the government and non-government sectors, this is a looming and important challenge for ACMA and requires a preparedness to re-think the status quo and traditional paradigms to continue to optimise the overall public benefit it is charged to deliver.”