Spectrum Planning

DOT’s Role in Federal Spectrum Management

The Office of the Secretary of Transportation coordinates spectrum policy, among DOT modal administrations, and interacts with other Federal Agencies and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to support national spectrum policy. In this capacity, the Office of Secretary (OST) delegates day-to-day responsibility for spectrum management to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for aviation and space transportation issues, and to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) for cross-modal transportation issues such as positioning, navigation and timing.

DOT's policy is to establish systems that meet the needs of the public by facilitating efficient and safe transportation and supporting national security. Use of the radio frequency spectrum is vital to the support of DOT programs, operations, and services to the traveling public. DOT looks to each operating administration to follow a formal process to evaluate spectrum needs as it determines, in the light of its responsibilities and national and departmental policies, the extent to which radio frequency equipment is required to carry out its missions.

DOT publishes a biennial spectrum plan. The most recent version is the 2009 DOT Biennial Spectrum Plan