DEFAERO Daily Pod [Aug 04, 25] National Spectrum Consortium’s Joe Kochan

Spectrum management requires balancing escalating commercial bandwidth demands with critical federal and national security requirements, such as the proposed Golden Dome air and missile defense system. Technological innovation, specifically Advanced Spectrum Coexistence and Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC), offers potential pathways to maximize limited bandwidth by enabling networks to sense and avoid interference or function as radar systems. Joe Kochan, CEO of the National Spectrum Consortium, emphasizes that legislative mandates for spectrum auctions often lack necessary engineering rigor, complicating the coordination between legacy radar systems and modern cellular infrastructure. The National Spectrum Consortium bridges this gap by convening diverse stakeholders—from established defense contractors to non-traditional startups—to prototype solutions. However, persistent federal budget uncertainty and slow acquisition processes remain significant barriers to deploying these technologies, hindering the ability to effectively modernize critical infrastructure and resolve complex spectrum conflicts.