Testimony: Harm Claim Thresholds

I was privileged to testify yesterday at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s sub-committee on Communications and Technology hearing on the topic “The Role of Receivers in a Spectrum Scarce World.”

My testimony (pdf; my oral testimony at time code 0:17:23 in the YouTube video on the hearing web page; the members' questions start at 0:27:00; some press here and here) tried to make four points:

1. We need to improve the ability of radio systems in one frequency band to tolerate reasonable signals in adjacent bands. 
2. Receiving system operators must bear some of the responsibility, but need to know what those responsibilities are.
3. Regulators can bring receiving systems into the mix by setting harm claim thresholds (aka interference limits or receiver protection limits), i.e. the interference levels that a service needs to tolerate without being able to bring a harmful interference claim.
4. Congress can play a role by keeping up the pressure, allowing the FCC to move ahead, and funding FCC technical investigations.