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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Interference  Immunity  Performance  Specifications  for  Radio  Receivers;  ET  Docket  No.  03-  65  (adopted  March  13,  2003) 
 The  Spectrum  Task  Force  has  offered  a  number  of  proposals  for  refining  the  FCC’s  approach  to  interference  and  developing  better  metrics  for  describing  and  quantifying  the 
 interference  environment  in  particular  bands.  The  development  of  receiver  standards  is  an  integral  part  of  this  effort.  Spectrum  is  too  critical  a  resource  in  our  digital  economy  to  allow 
 interference  avoidance  to  be  addressed  on  an  ad  hoc  incremental  basis.  All  factors  that  contribute  to  the  interference  environment  and,  ultimately,  the  ability  of  users  to  receive  clear 
 radio  signals,  must  be  taken  into  account  as  early  in  the  process  as  possible. 
 Technological  advancements  in  the  ability  to  reject  unwanted  signals  and  the  filtering  capacity  of  radio  receivers  present  the  Commission  with  an  opportunity.  In  a  world  where 
 spectrum  sharing  is  increasingly  necessary  and  common,  more  selective  receivers  reduce  the  need  for  the  Commission  to  become  mired  in  paralyzing  interference  debates  pitting  incumbents 
 against  new  entrants.  Instead,  shared  expectations  about  the  characteristics  of  receiver  equipment  allow  all  parties  to  plan  for  and  mitigate  interference. 


 As  we  initiate  this  proceeding,  our  objective  is  to  gather  information  on  the  technological  landscape  –  what  is  the  state-  of-  the-  art  in  receiver  technology  and  what  is  deployed  in  the  field. 
 Without  baselines,  there  can  be  no  benchmarks.  In  developing  these  baselines,  I  prefer  to  rely  on  market  incentives  and  voluntary  industry  programs  to  establish  receiver  immunity  guidelines  in 
 the  first  instance.  Such  guidelines  will  promote  more  efficient  use  of  the  radio  spectrum,  increasing  opportunities  for  innovation  and  the  delivery  of  new  services  to  the  American  public. 
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