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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J  .  MARTIN 
 Re:  The  4.9  GHz  Band  Transferred  from  Federal  Government  Use,  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  and  Third  Report  and  Order,  WT  Docket  No.  00-  32 


 I  am  pleased  to  support  this  item,  which  establishes  licensing  and  service  rules  for  public  safety  use  of  the  4940-  4990  MHz  band  (4.9  GHz  band).  This  item  responds  to 
 public  safety’s  need  for  spectrum  dedicated  to  high-  speed  data  transmission.  Numerous  state,  county,  local  government,  and  national  public  safety  associations  argued 
 persuasively  that  use  of  the  4.9  GHz  band  for  high-  speed  data  transmission  will  enable  responders  to  carry  out  critical  missions  in  a  way  that  ensures  more  effective  service  to 
 their  communities  and  provides  a  safer  environment  for  emergency  responders.  In  today’s  item,  we  adopt  licensing  and  service  rules  to  promote  those  goals. 


 The  rules  we  adopt  are  intended  to  accommodate  a  variety  of  new  public  safety  broadband  applications,  such  as  high  speed  on-  site  file  transfers  and  specialized  headsets 
 equipped  with  video  cameras  and  environmental  sensors.  For  example,  emergency  personnel  can  use  this  spectrum  to  have  instant  access  to  maps,  building  layouts, 
 emergency  medical  service  files,  and  wanted  or  missing  person  images.  Our  rules  also  allow  each  user  to  have  maximum  autonomy  to  use  the  spectrum  as  suits  its  particular 
 needs.  Users  in  rural  areas  thus  may  choose  to  use  the  spectrum  to  cover  larger  distances,  while  users  in  cities  may  have  a  greater  need  for  mobile  and  “hot  spot”  uses. 


 I  am  hopeful  that  the  rules  we  adopt  will  help  public  safety  personnel  –  which  include  law  enforcement,  fire  fighters,  SWAT  teams,  bomb  squads,  emergency  medical 
 providers,  and  others  –  carry  out  their  missions  in  as  safe  and  effective  a  manner  as  possible.  These  people,  who  must  risk  their  lives  to  protect  our  owns  live  and  property, 
 deserve  nothing  less. 
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