Current

JP (Pierre) de Vries is scholar in residence at the ATLAS Institute and distinguished advisor at the Silicon Flatirons Center, both at of the University of Colorado Boulder. His current work focuses on exploring the intersection of digital technology and mythology. He is also visiting senior scientist at the Institute for Networked Systems of RWTH Aachen University. He was a technology advisor to Harris Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, Washington DC (2007–2010) and senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for Communication of the University of Southern California (2006–2007). Prior to this he held various positions with Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, including chief of incubation and senior director of advanced technology and policy. (curriculum vitae, short bio).

Contact: pierredv at hotmail dotcom

Recent work (2014-18; earlier work is here)

2022

I filed reply comments in the FCC's NOI about promoting efficient use of spectrum through improved receiver interference immunity performance (Jul 2022) (Silicon Flatirons announcement)

I filed comments in the FCC's NOI about promoting efficient use of spectrum through improved receiver interference immunity performance (Jun 2022)

I participated with Dean Brenner in a Venable webinar on Possible FCC Regulation of Receivers: What Can Go Right? And What Can Go Wrong?” hosted by Laura Stefani (Jun 2022) (Venable/TRDaily news, video)

I presented “Harm Claim Thresholds: Incorporating receiver performance in spectrum management without using receiver standards” to the Spectrum Sharing Working Group of the FCC TAC (Apr 2022) (slides, video, ex parte filing)

2021

Along with Dale Hatfield and Keith Gremban, organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "Frontiers in Spectrum Sharing" (Sep 2021)

2020

Along with Dale Hatfield and Keith Gremban, organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "Evidence-Based Spectrum Policy" (Oct 2020)

2019

Along with Dale Hatfield and Keith Gremban, organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "Saving Our Spectrum: Handling Radio Layer Vulnerabilities in Wireless Systems" (Oct 2019)

2018

Susan Tonkin presented our paper "NewSpace Spectrum Sharing: Assessing Interference Risk and Mitigations for New Satellite Constellations" at TPRC on September 21, 2018.

Along with Dale Hatfield, organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "Spectrum Hall of Shame: The Worst (and Best) Radio Policy Decisions" (Sep 2018)

Along with my colleagues Petri Mähönen, Ljiljana Simić at RWTH Aachen University, I filed comments (pdf) on the FCC's docket 14-177, "Use of Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz For Mobile Radio Services." We recommended that the Commission consider using a non-exclusive, limited-number licensing scheme for the mm-wave allocations in this proceeding, as well as other mm-wave bands.

I organized the conference "Spectrum Hall of Shame: The Worst (and Best) Radio Policy Decisions" at the Silicon Flatirons Center on September 6, 2018 (video on YouTube).

I helped organize the event "Space 2.0: U.S. Competitiveness and Policy in the New Space Era" at the Hudson Institute on April 30, 2018, and moderated the panel discussion (panel video on C-SPAN). A transcript is available.

I filed comments (pdf) in response to a Public Notice by the FCC OET seeking comment on the FCC TAC's spectrum policy recommendations (notice pdf, docket).

2017

I was the lead author of the FCC TAC paper "A Risk Assessment Framework for NGSO-NGSO Interference" (pdf), approved for publication 6 December 2017. My presentation to the TAC is at timecode 228:45 in the video, and pp. 187-200 in the slide deck.

I organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "3D Wireless: The Promise and Challenges of Next-Generation Space and Airborne Wireless Systems" held at the University of Colorado Law school on 4 October, 2017. A report by Alex Vetras and Daniel Insulza is forthcoming.

Jeff Westling and I presented the paper "Not a Scarce Natural Resource: Alternatives to Spectrum-Think" at TPRC 45 on 9 September 2017 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2943502)

The paper "Risk-Informed Interference Assessment for Shared Spectrum Bands: A Wi-Fi/LTE Coexistence Case Study" with Andra Voicu, Ljiljana Simić, Marina Petrova and Petri Mähönen was published in IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking on 30 August 2017 (IEEE Xplore; DOI: 10.1109/TCCN.2017.2746567)

The paper "Statistical Inference on Spectrum Data for Design and Enforcement of Harm Claim Thresholds" with Janne Riihijärvi and Petri Mähönen was published in IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking on 30 August 2017 (DOI: 10.1109/TCCN.2017.2746578)

The paper "Measurement Procedures for Design and Enforcement of Harm Claim Thresholds" with Janne Riihijärvi and Petri Mähönen was presented at IEEE DySPAN 2017 in March 2017(DOI 10.1109/DySPAN.2017.7920779, RWTH pdf)

The paper "Analysing Wi-Fi/LTE Coexistence to Demonstrate the Value of Risk-Informed Interference Assessment," written with Andra Voicu, Ljiljana Simić, Marina Petrova and Petri Mähönen won the Best Paper award at IEEE DySPAN 2017 in March 2017 (RWTH pdf, forthcoming in IEEE Xplore)

The paper "A Risk-Informed Interference Assessment of MetSat/LTE Coexistence," co-authored with Uri Livnat and Susan Tonkin, is available via IEEE Access, DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2685592. Thanks to the University of Colorado Open Access Fund for supporting this publication.

My paper "Risk-informed interference assessment: A quantitative basis for spectrum allocation decisions" was published online in Telecommunications Policy in January 2017 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2016.12.007)

2016

Along with colleagues Jonathan Bair, Andrew Manley and Prof. Blake Reid of the Tech Law Clinic at CU Boulder, I've endorsed prior TAC recommendations that the FCC use waivers to pilot Risk-Informed Interference Assessment (RIA). Our filing uses three currently open waivers to explore how this might be done (December 9, 2016 filing, Clinic blog post).

My Fall 2016 conversation with Andrew Manley of Tech Law Clinic at CU Boulder is available (stream and downloads availble on web page).

My keynote on 15 September 2016 at the GNU Radio Conference is up on Youtube. The speech is about 30 minutes, followed by audience discussion at timecode 32:00. A transcript is available (pdf).

I organized the Silicon Flatirons conference "Spectrum: Next Generation Interference Resolution and Enforcement" held at the University of Colorado Law school on 15 September, 2016. Jeff Westling and Alex Vetras wrote a a report on the conference.

The paper "LTE in Unlicensed Bands is neither Friend nor Foe to Wi-Fi" with Ljiljana Simic, Andra Voicu, Petri Mahonen and Marina Petrova has been accepted for publication in IEEE Access (http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2016.2612480). A policy-oriented version was accepted for and presented at TPRC 2016 (https://ssrn.com/abstract=2754733).

The FCC TAC paper "A Case Study of Risk-Informed Interference Assessment: MetSat/LTE Co-existence in 1695–1710 MHz" was published in December 2015 (http://bit.ly/TACriskcase, pdf); I was the author.

2015

The Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic (TLPC) and I filed reply comments (filing on ECFS; TLPC blog post; http://ssrn.com/abstract=2703946) in our petition for rulemaking (Docket No RM-11750) on December 11, 2015.

I was a member of an FCC TAC (Technological Advisory Council) working group that wrote the white paper "Basic Principles for Assessing Compatibility of New Spectrum Allocations" (pdf, Release 1.1, 11 December 2015)

I organized a conference at Colorado Law on risk assessment in spectrum policy for Silicon Flatirons (event page; conference report) on October 23, 2015

I presented a paper on "Risk-Informed Interference Assessment: A Quantitative Basis for Spectrum Allocation Decisions" at TPRC on September 26, 2015 (http://ssrn.com/abstract=2574459; slides via slideshare).

I testified at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on “Wireless Broadband and the Future of Spectrum Policy" on July 30, 2015. My testimony is here. My remarks are at in the archived webcast, starting at 58:02; see also a question from Chairman Thune and my reply starting at 2:05:43.

I briefed the CSMAC (Commerce Spectrum Management Committee) on risk-informed interference analysis on May 12, 2015, see http://bit.ly/CSMACrisk.

PolicyTracker published an opinion piece on May 12, 2015 arguing for the use of quantitative risk assessment to complement worst case interference analysis (link - pay wall, copy available on request)

I co-filed a petition for rulemaking at the FCC with the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic at the University of Colorado to request that a private party would be permitted to file a spectrum interference complaint against another private party directly with the FCC Office of Administrative Law Judges (FCC ECFS link posted 11 May 2015, TLPC link). The Commission invited comment on 11 June 2015 (notice,Docket No RM-11750)

The FCC Technological Advisory Council published "A Quick Introduction to Risk-Informed Interference Assessment" (http://bit.ly/TACriskintro, pdf) on 1 April 2015; I was the lead author.

Tyler Cox has posted two risk-related working papers to SSRN: "Instances of Worst-Case Scenario Based Analysis Pushback by the FCC" (http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2559816) and "Piloting Risk-Informed Interference Assessment Using Waivers" (http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2543632). I commissioned and supervised the work.

I have summarized my conclusions about risk assessment in spectrum policy in a short working paper, "An Outline of Risk-Informed Interference Assessment" (http://ssrn.com/abstract=2564213).

2014

My paper The Wi-Fi “congestion crisis”: Regulatory criteria for assessing spectrum congestion claims with Ljiljana Simić, Andreas Achtzehn, Marina Petrova, and Petri Mähönen was published in Telecom Policy on September 16, 2014 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2014.06.005).

I had two papers at TPRC this year (September 13, 2014):

I filed comments on July 14, 2014 (corrected on July 29) and reply comments on August 15, 2014 on the FCC's Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the 3.5 GHz proceeding (WT Docket No. 12-354) .

Laura Littman and I wrote a working paper on "The Use of Statistical Risk Assessment by the FCC in Spectrum Regulation" (http://ssrn.com/abstract=2418504).

An FCC TAC working group I participated in published a Recommended Charter entitled "Multi-stakeholder Organization to Develop Interference Limits Policies" on June 17, 2014; the lead author was Doug Brake.

An FCC TAC working group I participated in published a White Paper entitled "Introduction to Interference Resolution, Enforcement and Radio Noise" on June 10, 2014; the lead author was Dale Hatfield.

I gave a talk ("Breaking the spell of Command and Control: Three spectrum reforms to maximize wireless value", video, slides, interview) at the Johannesberg Summit 2014 (program, YouTube channel) in Stockholm on 12 May 2014.

Phil Weiser and I presented a paper (pdf, web page; see http://bit.ly/unlockingspectrum for all resources) on "Unlocking Spectrum Value through Improved Allocation, Assignment and Adjudication of Spectrum Rights" at a Hamilton Project event at Brookings on 24 March 2014. Documents, briefs, backgrounders and video are available on the event page. My eight minute presentation of the ideas starts at 3:04 in the video; for a quick read, I recommend the policy brief (pdf).

The FCC TAC (Technological Advisory Council) published "Interference Limits Policy and Harm Claim Thresholds: An Introduction" (pdf) on 5 March 2014; I was the principal author.

"A Study on the Design Space for Harm Claim Thresholds" (pdf, DOI:10.4108/icst.crowncom.2014.255404), a paper with Janne Riihijarvi, Andreas Achtzehn and Petri Mahonen of the Institute for Networked Systems, RWTH Aachen University was presented at CrownCom 2014. It studies the statistics of data collected by drive tests to support the derivation of harm claim threshold levels.

Here's an introduction to harm claim thresholds and interference limits: http://sdrv.ms/1impAKx (6 pages, first version January 2014).

Earlier work (2005-2013)

Service

TPRC board member (2013-)

FCC Technological Advisory Council member (2013-)

TPRC program committee chair (2011, 2012)

DySPAN 2011 policy program committee co-chair

Northwest Vipassana Association board member (2010-2014), treasurer (2012-2014)

Bread for the World board member (2004-2010)

Seattle Center on Contemporary Art board member, treasurer (approx. 1999-2002)