An AKEP delegation composed of chief of cabinet Eriola Mosko, advisor to the chairperson Armer Juka, Director of Monitoring, Control and Inspection Vasil Mitezi, and Technical Director Bledar Kazia had a series of high level meetings in Washington D.C. with institution counterparts and partners.
The meeting with the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA), part of the Trade Department focused on the preparation, development, consultation and adoption of the spectrum policy. Senior Spectrum Advisor/National Spectrum Strategy Director Scott Blake Harris shared the experience of his agency in this delicate and necessary process.
In the quality of the organization charged with the administration of the frequency spectrum used by federal authorities, NTIA stressed the importance of allocating a specific portion of the spectrum in different bands for non-commercial use, including defense and security, civil aviation, scientific research, etc.
Notwithstanding the foreseeable and unforeseeable challenges, NTIA embraces the idea that the increasingly more use of the spectrum by new technologies unavoidably implies different forms of frequency band co-use.
On the other hand, rapid technological developments necessitate the forecasting of a displacement fund, with revenue from frequency rights sales, which is aimed at compensating existing operators in frequency bands destined for new and advanced technologies.
The meeting with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was of particular relevance because it addressed two of the main AKEP institutional issues, which are the allocation of new bands for 5G deployment, and network security.
Assistant Chief of the Auctions Division, Martha Stancill presented the philosophy and policy objectives applied in the US in assigning frequencies. The early involvement of stakeholders was identified as a key factor for developing the optimal format to achieve process success from the perspective of maximizing the spectrum financial value, promoting competition, and offering a wide range of innovative technologies.
When considering network security, the Chief of the FCC International Affairs Office, Ethan Lucarelli, and Deputy Chief Jared Carlson appreciated and commended the steps taken by the Republic of Albania and AKEP in this regard. The FCC colleagues presented the approach of the American Government in this sensitive matter and detailed the modalities, requirements and consequences of including an electronic communications networks supplier in the “covert list”. It was noted that in addition to equipment security, the FCC is legally charged with refusing or revoking licenses for operators that are deemed a threat to national security.
AKEP informed the FCC colleagues about the legal changes in our country in the framework of transposing the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) and the Network and Information Security (NIS 2) Directive, as two key elements for the operationalization and institutional coordination related to network security matters, which is a priority for our country.
