What We Do
The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is the research and engineering laboratory of NTIA. We perform advanced communications research to inform spectrum policy and develop capabilities to solve emerging telecommunications issues. We serve as a principal Federal resource for solving the telecommunications concerns of other Federal agencies, state and local Governments, industry, and international organizations. We work to continually advance the state of the art in radio frequency (RF) propagation measurement, RF propagation modeling, spectrum monitoring and enforcement, electromagnetic compatibility analysis, interference mitigation strategies, evaluation of end-user experience, and engineering analysis of evolving technologies to manage and share spectrum efficiently. Learn more about ITS on our YouTube Channel or read about our research programs in the FY 2017 Technical Progress Report.
August 7, 2018
The record attendance (nearly 170 experts from government,
academia, and industry) at the 17th International Symposium on
Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) demonstrated the deep interest
in the problem of modeling...
April 24, 2018
As demand for spectrum for commercial use continues to grow,
policymakers are exploring spectrum sharing as a way to expand
capacity while still fulfilling the needs of federal agencies. This
model can work only if rules...
February 23, 2018
The Radio Act of 1912 dictated perhaps the first spectrum
efficiency requirement when it said that “In all circumstances,
except in case of signals or radiograms relating to vessels in
distress, all stations shall...
February 6, 2018
Spectrum monitoring—long-term continuous measurement of the
radio frequency environment from multiple sensors—is widely seen as
essential to enabling increased exploitation of spectrum.
Monitoring is expected be the...
April 3, 2017
Evolving and improving the science behind spectrum sharing is
essential to NTIA’s commitment to meeting the demand for spectrum
among federal and commercial users. Just as collaboration between
spectrum users can unlock...
New Publications
This Month in ITS History
November 1920: First Scheduled Commercial Radio Broadcast
On November 2, 1920 Frank Conrad broadcast the election results from the Harding-Cox election (Harding won 37 of 48 states). Conrad was a ham radio operator who worked with radio manufacturer Westinghouse to set up KDKA in Pittsburgh. It was the first of its kind, but it echoed the successes of the National Bureau of Standards (BS) WWV station which had begun occasional experimental broadcasts in May. KDKA’s broadcast was a success, and soon radio stations were popping up all around the country. The NBS Radio Section supported the booming industry. Radio Section researchers tested materials for radio parts, and antenna shapes. At the request of broadcasters, they created standards for radio and equipment to measure those standards. They published technical manuals and acted as an information clearinghouse for companies and individuals. To help consumers listen to the broadcasts, NBS created the porta-phone, a small portable radio in 1921. In 1922, NBS printed instructions for creating a homemade radio at one tenth the cost of a commercial one. Before the creation of the Federal Radio Commission (the precursor to the FCC), the Radio Section even tested radio operators. Today, ITS, the Radio Section’s descendant, continues to work to improve current and emerging communications technologies such as LTE, Voice over LTE (VoLTE), and 5G.