An exemplary unified framework that is disclose for identifying which communication beams are to be uplink and/or downlink communication beams. This exemplary unified framework can utilize one or more universal Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states to identify the one or more communication beams that are to be utilized for uplink and/or downlink communication. The one or more universal TCI states can be used identify the one or more communication beams. And the one or more universal TCI states can include applicability information to identify which control channels, such as the PDCCH and the PUCCH to provide some examples, data channels, such as the PDSCH and/or the PUSCH to provide some examples, and/or signals, such as the DMRS, the PTRS, the SRS, and/or the CSI-RS to provide some examples, are to utilize the communication beams identified by the one or more universal TCI states.