The US government is set to order federal agencies to look at the efficiency of their use of wireless spectrum, according to reports.

A number of agencies in sectors such as national defence, law enforcement and weather forecasting reserve blocks of spectrum for their own purposes, Reuters said.

A presidential memorandum will direct them to ensure that it is being used in the most efficient way, including the potential for sharing with commercial (business or consumer) applications.

The work comes as part of a $100 million effort to free up government spectrum, which could also see some unused frequencies relinquished or allocated to “unlicensed” use.

This will be backed by research into spectrum sharing and public-private collaborations.

Television broadcasters are already being encouraged to give up unused spectrum, National Journal said, which could then be made available to mobile operators.

The Obama administration has put the availability of broadband connectivity at the heart of the US deficit reduction plan, with wireless broadband also included as part of the American Jobs Act.