WASHINGTON — On the opening day of the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) in Dubai, government officials leading the U.S. delegation said their top priorities are to ensure spectrum access for next-generation wireless services and to boost U.S. growth in the space economy.
The four-week long WRC-23 kicked off Nov. 20. The conference is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to review and revise the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits.
Speaking with reporters from Dubai, U.S. officials said WRC-23 is a significant opportunity to advance U.S. interests related to telecommunications, innovation, economic growth and national security. The U.S. delegation includes nearly 200 government officials from the State Department, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, NASA and the White House.
Organizers of the WRC-23 expect about 4,500 government officials from 193 nations to participate, in addition to 900 international organizations and universities.
Several U.S. goals
Nathaniel Fick, U.S. ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, said there are broad objectives the United States seeks to achieve. These include expanding connectivity through 5G and Wi-Fi, unlocking innovation in the space economy and the next generation of space science, protecting U.S. national defense capabilities, and preserving radio frequency for maritime and aviation safety.
Geopolitics are casting a shadow at WRC-23 amid ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Fick said these ongoing conflicts should not deter progress on technical regulations that the entire global digital economy relies on.
“We’re doing it all in a context of trying to ensure inclusivity, given that a third of the world is still not connected,” said Fick.
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