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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 
 RE:  In  the  Matter  of  Amendment  of  Part  2  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  to  Allocate  Spectrum  Below  3  GHz  for  Mobile  and  Fixed  Services  to  Support  the  Introduction 
 of  New  Advanced  Wireless  Services,  Including  Third  Generation  Wireless  Systems  (Second  Report  and  Order). 


 In  the  Matter  of  Service  Rules  for  Advanced  Wireless  Services  in  the  1710-  1755  MHz  and  2110-  2155  MHz  Bands  (NPRM). 
 I  commend  the  Commission  for  moving  forward  with  these  critical  proceedings.  3G  has  been  a  hot  issue  since  I  arrived  at  the  Commission,  and  before,  I’m  certain.  Like 
 my  colleagues,  I  am  very  excited  about  what  the  future  holds  for  wireless  technologies  in  these  frequencies. 


 This  Commission  has,  of  course,  a  large  and  important  role  in  promoting  innovative  and  efficient  uses  of  the  American  people’s  spectrum.  It  is  our  responsibility 
 in  allocating  spectrum  and  setting  service  rules  to  place  the  highest  value  on  what  new  uses  of  spectrum  will  mean  to  consumers.  I  mention  this  because  I  hope  that  no  one  will 
 think  the  FCC  can  magically  make  the  current  woes  of  the  wireless  industry  go  away  by  merely  allocating  new  spectrum.  Life  is  not  that  simple!  More  importantly,  we  should 
 always  keep  in  mind  that  our  job  is  to  create  a  landscape  where  Americans  can  know  that  the  spectrum  that  they  have  entrusted  to  us  is  used  in  their  best  interest,  and  that  the 
 endgame  here  goes  beyond  business  interests  to  serve  the  public  interest.  If  we  do  our  job  right  here,  I  believe  it  will  be  a  win-  win  for  everyone. 


 I  also  hope  that  we  will  study  the  European  experience  with  3G  very  carefully.  Various  European  countries  moved  ahead  with  3G  allocations  before  we  did.  Many  of 
 these  countries  allocated  large  amounts  of  spectrum  to  3G.  Despite  that,  3G  has  been  less  than  a  success  in  Europe.  What  role  did  government  allocations  and  service  rules  play? 
 What  other  factors  were  at  work?  We  need  to  know.  Those  who  don’t  study  history  are  condemned  to  repeat  it. 


 But  all  that  comes  in  the  future.  Today,  the  Commission  has  done  the  right  thing,  and  has  started  the  ball  rolling  on  making  spectrum  available  for  exciting  new 
 technologies.  I  know  that  the  negotiations  over  3G  spectrum  were  tough,  and  that  the  wireless  industry  was  under  some  heavy  pressures  regarding  things  it  may  have  wanted, 
 and  I  hope  those  negotiations  ended  with  the  right  result.  We’ll  see. 
 What  I  can’t  wait  to  see  is  what  all  the  amazing  innovators  in  the  communications  industry  come  up  with  for  these  frequencies.  From  cellular  to  PCS  to  satellite  to  Wi-  Fi, 
 they  have  consistently  brought  us  exciting  new  technologies  that  pushed  the  envelope.  We  will  have  done  our  job  well  if  our  actions  today  result  in  more  such  advances. 


 Thank  you. 
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