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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J  .  MARTIN 
 Re:  Facilitating  Opportunities  for  Flexible,  Efficient,  and  Reliable  Spectrum  Use  Employing  Cognitive  Radio  Technologies  (ET  Docket  No.  03-  108;  Authorization 
 and  Use  of  Software  Defined  Radios  (ET  Docket  No.  00-  47),  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  and  Order 


 I  am  very  pleased  to  support  this  item,  which  seeks  to  facilitate  the  development  of  cognitive  or  “smart”  radio  technology.  Cognitive  radio  technology  has  truly  great 
 potential  to  improve  spectrum  access  and  efficiency.  Among  other  things,  the  technology  allows  for  greater  sharing  of  spectrum.  As  I  have  previously  discussed,  promoting 
 spectrum  sharing  is  a  fundamental  part  of  encouraging  efficient  spectrum  usage.  See,  e.  g.,  Remarks  by  Kevin  J.  Martin  to  the  FCBA  Policy  Summit  &  CLE,  U.  S.  Spectrum 
 Policy:  Convergence  or  Co-  Existence?  (Mar.  5,  2002).  While  the  amount  of  available  spectrum  is  ultimately  limited  only  by  technology,  the  spectrum  supply  currently  feels 
 very  limited.  Sharing  spectrum  is  a  crucial  means  to  get  more  mileage  out  of  this  important  resource.  See  id.  Cognitive  radio  technology  allows  for  greater  spectrum 
 sharing  by  enabling  devices  to  find  and  use  available  spectrum  in  different  frequencies,  times,  or  spaces.  This  can  be  as  simple  as  frequency  hopping  in  a  wireless  local  area 
 network  or  as  advanced  as  DARPA’s  XG  program,  which  would  allow  multiple  users  to  share  common  spectrum  by  avoiding  conflicts  in  time,  frequency,  code,  and  other  signal 
 characteristics.  I  am  confident  that  we  will  see  even  greater  advances  in  spectrum  sharing  through  cognitive  radio  technology,  and  the  Commission  should  do  what  it  can  to 
 facilitate  such  advances. 
 Cognitive  radio  technology  also  makes  possible  improved  spectrum  access  in  rural  areas.  Many  Wireless  Internet  Service  Providers  (WISPs)  are  using  unlicensed 
 spectrum  to  provide  innovative  services  in  rural  areas  but  are  finding  it  difficult  to  provide  adequate  signal  coverage  because  of  our  current  Part  15  power  limits.  This  item 
 proposes  allowing  such  providers  to  increase  their  power  input  if  they  use  cognitive  radio  technology  to  avoid  interference  to  other  users.  I  am  very  supportive  of  this  proposal, 
 and  I  look  forward  to  receiving  comments. 
 Cognitive  radio  technology  also  has  great  potential  for  enabling  interoperability  among  public  safety  agencies.  Lack  of  interoperability  has  been  identified  as  a 
 significant  problem  in  our  response  to  the  September  11  attacks  and  in  other  disasters  involving  multiple  jurisdictions,  and  we  must  all  focus  on  improving  interoperability. 
 Cognitive  radio  technology  can  play  an  important  part  in  that  improvement  by  enabling  devices  to  bridge  communications  between  jurisdictions  using  different  frequencies  and 
 modulation  formats.  Through  such  a  mechanism,  a  fire  department  from  Long  Island  could  communicate  effectively  with  a  police  department  from  Manhattan  even  if  they  use 
 completely  different  radio  systems.  Such  interoperability  is  crucial  to  enabling  public  safety  agencies  to  do  their  jobs. 
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 Accordingly,  for  all  of  these  reasons,  I  look  forward  to  receiving  comment  on  how  we  can  best  promote  cognitive  radio  technology. 
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