Tutorial: An introduction to RF spectrum management and its relevance for geosciences and remote sensing

The ever-increasing demand for the radio frequency spectrum is transforming current radio regulations at national and international levels. Data collected with earth exploration satellites can easily become unusable due to RF interference whether it is from out-of-band or spurious emissions towards the bands used by the sensors. In 2006, the FCC auctioned 90MHz of the spectrum for 3G cellular communications with a gain for the US Treasury of $13.7B. Only a decade later, in January 2016, merely 65MHz were auctioned for close to $45B. The gain obtained from better weather prediction, and Earth remote-sensing studies is harder to quantify, nevertheless provides great benefit to society. This tutorial has as its primary goal to offer an introduction to the science and policies behind the field of RF Spectrum Management. Some of the economic aspects of spectrum management will also be discussed.