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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS  AND  KEVIN  MARTIN 
 Re:  Revision  of  Parts  2  and  15  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  to  Permit  Unlicensed  National  Information  Infrastructure  (U-  NII)  devices  in  the  5  GHz  Band,  Notice  of 
 Proposed  Rulemaking,  ET  Docket  No.  03-  122. 
 We  would  like  to  commend  the  Bureau  for  making  new  spectrum  available  for  unlicensed  services.  This  item  reflects  the  important  agreement  reached  between  NTIA, 
 DOD,  NASA,  the  FCC,  and  various  industry  groups  including  the  Wi-  Fi  alliance.  The  underlying  agreement  demonstrates  that  hard  work  and  public-  private  sector  cooperation 
 can  achieve  great  results. 
 Unlicensed  services  are  already  demonstrating  their  great  potential  for  consumers  in  other  bands,  from  cordless  phones  to  wireless  broadband  connections,  such  as  802.11b 
 and  Bluetooth..  We  are  particularly  excited  about  the  use  of  unlicensed  networking  devices  to  serve  rural  America.  We  have  now  moved  well  beyond  demonstration 
 projects,  and  unlicensed  networks  are  bringing  broadband  access  to  places  that  other  services  have  left  behind.  We  are  also  hopeful  that  unlicensed  operations  will,  as  some 
 have  suggested,  eventually  provide  a  last-  mile  application  to  connect  people’s  homes  to  the  Internet,  offering  a  real  alternative  to  telephone  wires,  cable,  and  satellite  connections. 


 Finally,  we  want  to  note  that  this  item  will  give  the  American  delegation  to  the  WRC  an  important  tool  in  promoting  these  and  other  wireless  applications  around  the 
 globe.  Thank  you  for  your  hard  work. 
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