The critical role of spectrum as a catalyst for economic growth was highlighted in the 2010 National Broadband Plan (NBP). A challenge for the NBP is realizing optimal spectrum sharing in the presence of interference caused by rogue transmissions from any source, but particularly secondary users who share the spectrum. This complex problem straddles wireless technology, industrial economics, international standards, and regulatory policy.
This interdisciplinary, multi-university collaborative project studies the many dimensions of the problem from algorithms to law enforcement. The investigators study (1) ex-ante spectrum rule enforcement mechanisms (i.e., preventive) such as spectrum access control via policy reasoners, (2) ex-post spectrum rule enforcement schemes (i.e., punitive) with policy conformance monitoring that employ cryptographic commitments, (3) ex-post enforcement schemes that can uniquely identify rogue transmitters, and (4) the economic viability of spectrum sharing with different enforcement schemes.
The project provides a broad range of education and industry outreach activities in order to rapidly insert research advances into curriculum and university-industry partnerships. Specifically, the investigators will present short courses and tutorials at the annual Virginia Tech Wireless Symposium and Summer School, and widely disseminate findings through NSF Industry & University Collaborative Research Centers (I/UCRC) at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
