Welcome to the Connect Everyone Coalition’s (CEC) new series, Connecting the Dots.

We’ll get you up to speed, quickly, on the people, policies, events and technologies that are helping us bridge the digital divide and finally connect everyone, everywhere.

In 30 Seconds: Every four years, countries from around the world come together at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). They negotiate rules of the road for using radio frequency spectrum, which is the world’s communication infrastructure. The next WRC will be held in Shanghai, China in 2027. Policymakers are waiting to see who the State Department will select for the U.S. delegation and what approach the administration will take.

As CEC Sees It:

Creating a Tech Neutral Framework = Bridging the Digital Divide
The WRC-27 will decide the global framework for spectrum and satellite use. This framework is critical to ensuring that networks do not interfere with each other, slow down service or leave regions offline. Decisions at the WRC influence global mobile coverage, rural broadband and cross-border interoperability. At the CEC, we believe it is essential that all connectivity technology, including LEO satellite offerings, are able to work together. That’s key for expanding affordable broadband access to help us finally, fully bridge the digital divide.

U.S. Leadership in Space = U.S. Leadership Space Regulation

Nearly 80 percent of the WRC-27 agenda is dedicated to space-related issues. With the U.S. leading the way in the modern-day space race, the U.S. needs to approach the Shanghai conference ready to defend our edge, maintain a level global playing field and push back on unfair proposals or new regulatory red tape that could put America’s space leadership at a disadvantage. The conference will be an important time for the U.S. to protect investments in space innovation, promote fair access to spectrum and avoid ceding control over global regulation. Spectrum allocation is long-term policy: decisions lock in how new technologies like 6G wireless technology, satellite networks and aviation systems will operate for decades.

During a recent CEC webinar, panelists Kristian Stout, director of innovation policy at the International Center for Law & Economics, and Michael Calabrese, director of New America’s Wireless Future program, explained the importance of the policy decisions made at the WRC in relation to the modern-day space race. The rapid growth of U.S. satellite innovation has far surpassed the pace of existing WRC bureaucracy. This means the conference’s global regulation of spectrum bands for satellite use is at risk of creating a regulatory bottleneck. As Stout and Calabrese explained, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) must either catch up or accept de facto American rules. Watch the full webinar here.

State of Play: Decision makers are waiting to see who will be selected to represent the U.S. delegation to the WRC, which includes representatives from the Department of State, Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission. Just this week, the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing titled, “Securing U.S. Leadership of Communications Technology.” The hearing examined strategies for continued U.S. leadership in communications technology and what is at stake at the WRC-27. Members of Congress emphasized the consequences the WRC presents for America’s economy, national security and innovation and the need for strong U.S. participation in the conference for successful leadership. Watch the full hearing here.

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