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 CONSOLIDATED  SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J  .  MARTIN 
 Re:  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  Services,  Second  Report  and  Order,  ET  Docket  No.  00-  258; 
 Service  Rules  for  Advanced  Wireless  Services  in  the  1.7  and  2.1  GHz  Bands,  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  WT  Docket  No.  02-  XXX 


 I  am  pleased  to  support  these  items,  which  allocate  spectrum  and  seek  comment  on  service  rules  for  advanced  wireless  services  in  the  1.7  GHz  and  2.1  GHz  bands.  These 
 items  provide  two  45  MHz  blocks  of  contiguous  spectrum  which,  we  propose,  can  be  used  for  a  range  of  advanced  wireless  services.  While  the  wireless  industry  is  already  on 
 the  forefront  in  offering  innovative  new  services,  advances  in  technology  are  developing  that  will  provide  consumers  exciting  new  applications  such  as  truly  high-  speed  Internet 
 access  on  their  mobile  phones  and  the  ability  to  use  their  mobile  phones  as  cameras,  sending  digital  pictures  to  other  phones  or  computers  at  the  touch  of  a  button.  A  crucial 
 ingredient  to  these  services,  however,  is  sufficient  spectrum.  These  items  provide  some  of  that  spectrum,  making  available  a  significant  amount  of  spectrum  that  can  be  used  for 
 services  such  as  expanded  voice,  data,  and  broadband  applications  provided  over  high-speed  fixed  and  mobile  networks  –  applications  often  called  “third  generation”  (“  3G”)  or, 
 internationally,  “International  Mobile  Telecommunications-  2000”  (“  IMT-  2000”).  These  items  should  thus  lead  to  substantial  consumer  benefits,  as  new  and  better  quality  services 
 develop  in  the  1.7  GHz  and  2.1  GHz  bands. 
 I  commend  all  of  the  different  parts  of  government  for  working  together  to  make  this  happen.  In  particular,  the  National  Telecommunications  and  Information 
 Administration  deserves  praise  for  spearheading  this  effort.  NTIA,  working  with  the  Department  of  Defense,  the  State  Department,  the  Office  of  Management  and  Budget, 
 and  the  FCC’s  staff,  developed  a  plan  that  serves  as  the  blueprint  for  making  this  spectrum  available.  They  accomplished  a  major  step  in  ensuring  that  new  and  innovative 
 wireless  services  will  be  available  to  American  consumers. 
 These  items  also  mark  an  important  move  toward  a  more  predictable  spectrum  policy  at  the  FCC.  In  the  past,  spectrum  decisions  have  often  been  made  ad  hoc,  leading 
 to  short  bursts  of  spectrum  being  made  available  in  response  to  specific  exigencies.  These  items,  in  contrast,  are  part  of  a  longer-  range  plan,  in  which  we  will  make  a 
 significant  amount  of  spectrum  available  over  a  period  of  several  years.  Spectrum  users  thus  should  have  the  certainty  to  develop  business  plans  in  advance  of  critical  needs. 
 They  can  be  assured  that  when  spectrum  is  needed  it  will  be  there. 
 These  items  are  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  and  I  look  forward  to  continuing  our  efforts  to  provide  new  and  better  services  to  consumers  and  certainty  and  predictability  to 
 the  spectrum  community. 
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