SpectrumX, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Center, launched a podcast on July 7, 2026, titled “Spectrum Matters.”
“Spectrum Matters” is a forum for informal, informative conversations with innovative, dedicated engineers, scientists, and educators who help make SpectrumX the world’s largest academic hub for advancing radio frequency spectrum research and technology. Spectrum experts from academia, government, and industry will join to broaden and enhance the conversation with unique insights and perspectives.
Each episode of “Spectrum Matters” will explore timely, relevant radio frequency spectrum topics to bring wider awareness to these subjects. Some episodes will feature multiple guests to provide balanced perspectives on nuanced spectrum issues; other episodes will feature one guest and provide a closer look at these key individuals in the Center and the spectrum ecosystem as a whole.
“Radio frequency spectrum isn’t just a technical issue. It’s a national priority that supports our economic competitiveness, our national security, and our scientific future,” said J. Nicholas Laneman, director of NSF SpectrumX. “This podcast is the Center’s invitation to students, researchers, and everyday citizens to join that conversation, because the decisions being made about spectrum today will shape America’s place in the world tomorrow.”
“Spectrum Matters” is hosted by Al Feinberg, who spent more than two decades working in communications at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“Without the radio frequency spectrum, we’d all be unable to communicate with each other,” said Feinberg. “NSF SpectrumX has uniquely positioned itself to help protect and develop this precious, finite resource on behalf of our society. I’m thrilled that, through ‘Spectrum Matters,’ they’re allowing me to share their fascinating professional and personal stories with everyone.”
The first podcast episode provides an introduction to the NSF SpectrumX Center, including a brief overview of its founding, its current and future research and education initiatives, and how it fits into the overall spectrum ecosystem.
Deep dives on NSF SpectrumX research, careers in spectrum management, technology and scientific advances, and the Center’s educational and professional opportunities are slated topics for future episodes.
This podcast aims to increase awareness of the Center and timely radio frequency spectrum topics for a broader audience, as well as provide educational opportunities for experts and non-experts alike. It joins the Center’s webinar series, “Radio Shop Chats,” which invites non-Center-member spectrum experts to lead technical discussions on a variety of spectrum-related topics, as one of NSF SpectrumX’s premier outreach initiatives.
To watch the first episode, please visit the “Spectrum Matters” page on the NSF SpectrumX website.
About NSF SpectrumX
NSF SpectrumX is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its Spectrum Innovation Initiative, under grant number AST 21-32700. NSF SpectrumX is the world’s largest academic hub where all radio spectrum stakeholders can innovate, collaborate, and contribute to maximizing social welfare of this precious resource.
To learn more about NSF SpectrumX, please visit spectrumx.org.
Contact:
Stephanie Loney, Research Communications Specialist
NSF SpectrumX / Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
sloney@nd.edu / 574.631.7804
spectrumx.org
