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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 For  Immediate  Release:  Media  Contacts:  David  Fiske  (202)  418-  0513  December  10,  2002  Robin  Pence  (202)  418-  0505 
 CHAIRMAN  POWELL  AND  ASSISTANT  SECRETARY  VICTORY  MEET  TO  PLAN  AND  COORDINATE  SPECTRUM  POLICY 
 Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  and  Assistant  Secretary  of  Commerce  for  Communications  and  Information  Nancy  J.  Victory  today  met 
 formally  to  plan  and  coordinate  the  efforts  of  the  FCC  and  the  National  Telecommunications  and  Information  Administration  (NTIA)  to  improve  U.  S.  spectrum  policy.  The  meeting  included 
 senior  spectrum  policy  teams  from  both  organizations.  Its  purpose  was  to  institutionalize  and  elevate  the  coordination  between  the  two  agencies  beyond  historical  levels,  given  the  importance 
 of  spectrum  management  to  the  country. 
 Spectrum  users  and  industry  participants  in  last  spring’s  NTIA  Spectrum  Summit  and  public  forums  hosted  by  the  FCC’s  Spectrum  Policy  Task  Force  emphasized  the  need  for  the 
 FCC  and  NTIA  to  work  together  to  develop  spectrum  policy  for  an  era  of  technological  convergence.  As  an  immediate  step  to  address  this  concern,  the  FCC  and  the  NTIA  announced 
 today  that  in  the  near  future  they  will  execute  a  new  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MOU)  detailing  the  terms  of  their  interaction.  Since  the  execution  of  the  original  MOU  in  the  1940’s, 
 the  FCC  and  the  NTIA’s  predecessor  have  managed  spectrum  without  updating  that  document. 
 In  today’s  meeting,  FCC  and  NTIA  explored  areas  of  common  focus  and  priority  in  their  efforts  to  maximize  the  value  of  a  critical  national  asset.  The  discussion  included: 


 €  The  existing  process  for  coordinating  government  and  commercial  use  of  the  spectrum; 
 €  A  mutual  interest  in  fostering  intensive  use  of  the  spectrum  while  diminishing  the  potential  for  harmful  interference  to  existing  spectrum  users  and  new  entrants; 


 €  Emerging  technologies  with  potential  for  addressing  a  variety  of  spectrum  access  and  interference  concerns; 
 €  The  issue  of  alternative  licensing  regimes  and  the  success  of  the  unlicensed  model  in  promoting  innovation; 


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 €  Strengths  and  weaknesses  of  various  licensing  models,  and  the  factors  that  should  be  weighed  when  considering  adoption  of  particular  licensing  regimes,  with  a  particular 
 focus  on  sharing  best  practices  to  speed  reform. 
 Both  Chairman  Powell  and  Assistant  Secretary  Victory  acknowledged  that  progress  in  spectrum  reform  will  only  come  through  a  sound  technical  foundation. 


 “The  pace  of  development  in  spectrum-  based  services  is  such  that  remarkable  breakthroughs  quickly  seem  mundane,”  said  Chairman  Powell.  “Our  spectrum  policies  need  to  reflect  this 
 dynamic  marketplace  and  to  be  flexible  enough  to  keep  up  with  innovation.  I  am  pleased  that  Assistant  Secretary  Victory  has  made  spectrum  policy  one  of  her  top  priorities.  NTIA  and  the 
 FCC  are  essential  partners  on  the  frontier  of  spectrum  policy  reform  and  I  look  forward  to  working  closely  with  Assistant  Secretary  Victory  on  these  important  initiatives.” 


 “Spectrum  is  the  rocket  fuel  for  the  next  wave  of  technological  innovation,”  Assistant  Secretary  Victory  said.  “New  spectrum  technologies  are  moving  from  science  fiction  to  the 
 shelves  of  electronics  stores  and  the  cockpits  of  F-  22  fighter  jets.  We  need  to  boost  the  growth  spectrum  provides  to  our  economy.  The  leadership  of  the  FCC  and  the  Administration  are 
 focused  on  the  common  objective  of  maximizing  the  value  of  the  spectrum  resource  to  the  American  people.” 


 Chairman  Powell  and  Assistant  Secretary  Victory  have  agreed  to  schedule  the  next  formal  spectrum  leadership  meeting  in  the  early  summer  of  2003. 


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