*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 27873.doc* NEWS 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). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News Media Contact: May 15, 2003 Lauren M. Van Wazer (202) 418- 0030 FCC PROPOSES ADDITIONAL SPECTRUM FOR UNLICENSED USE Washington, DC - As part of its ongoing effort to promote more flexible, innovative, and market driven uses of the radio spectrum, the FCC today proposed to make available for unlicensed use an additional 255 megahertz of spectrum in the 5.470- 5.725 GHz band. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) approved today, the Commission proposed that this spectrum be made available for use by unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U- NII) devices, including Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs), operating under Part 15 of the FCC’s rules. This would increase the spectrum available for use by unlicensed devices in the 5 GHz region of the spectrum by nearly 80% -- and, it represents a significant increase in the spectrum available for unlicensed devices across the overall radio spectrum. The Commission also proposed additional technical requirements for U- NII devices, including transition periods for implementation of these requirements. The Commission stated that the increased capacity gained from access to this added spectrum, coupled with the ease of deployment and operational flexibility provided by our U- NII rules, will foster the development of a wide range of new and innovative unlicensed devices and lead to further wireless broadband access and investment. The Commission also noted that this action advances the policies set forth in the Spectrum Policy Task Force Report issued last fall, which specifically recommended that additional spectrum be provided for unlicensed use. This action responds to a petition for rulemaking filed by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA - now known as the Wi- Fi Alliance). In agreement with WECA, the Commission recognized that this proposal aligns the frequency bands used by U- NII devices with those in many other parts of the world, enabling more widespread use of the same digital communications products and decreasing development costs for U. S. manufacturers. The Commission also proposed several allocations actions consistent with both the U. S. WRC- 03 position and an agreement reached by the U. S. Department of Defense, National Air and Space Administration (NASA), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the FCC regarding the 5 GHz band. 1 Action by the Commission May 15, 2003, by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in ET Docket No. 03- 122, (FCC 03- 110). Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Copps, Martin, and Adelstein. Separate statements issued by Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Adelstein with joint statement issued by Commissioners Copps and Martin. Office of Engineering and Technology contact: Ahmed Lahjouji at (202) 418- 2061 ET Docket No. 03– 122 - FCC- 2