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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Amendment  of  Parts  1,  21,  73,  74  and  101  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  to  Facilitate  the  Provision  of  Fixed  and  Mobile  Broadband  Access,  Education  and  Other  Advanced  Services  in 
 the  2150-  2162  and  2500-  2690  MHz  Bands  (WT  Docket  No.  03-  66);  et  al.,  Report  and  Order  and  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking.  (Adopted  June  10,  2004). 


 We  are  witnessing  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  for  wireless  broadband.  Today’s  decision  does  away  with  heavy-  handed  rules  that  have  governed  the  MDS/  ITFS  band  (“  2.5  GHz  band”)  for  far 
 too  long.  Freed  from  regulatory  shackles,  educational  institutions  will  now  have  the  flexibility  to  utilize  their  spectrum  in  the  way  most  advantageous  to  the  students  and  the  public  they  serve. 


 The  magnitude  of  today’s  ruling  is  apparent  when  one  considers  that  this  band  is  double  the  spectrum  that  sparked  the  WiFi  explosion  at  2.4  GHz  and  equivalent  to  the  entire  spectrum 
 devoted  to  terrestrial  mobile,  wireless  services.  Until  now,  2.5  GHz  has  failed  to  emulate  the  successes  experienced  by  these  other  bands. 


 This  Order  gives  ITFS  and  the  newly  named  Broadband  Radio  Service  (BRS)  licensees  new  options  for  developing  and  deploying  innovative  technologies  including  low-  power,  mobile 
 wireless  broadband  technologies.  These  systems  will  provide  a  competitive  alternative  to  cable  modem  and  DSL  service  and  will  transform  the  marketplace  by  expanding  broadband  rural  areas 
 and  decreasing  the  price  of  current  broadband  services. 
 In  addition,  this  Order  offers  more  choices  to  educational  institutions.  Under  these  new  rules,  licensees  can  choose  to  continue  delivering  high-  powered  educational  television,  develop 
 new  instructional  uses  over  the  ITFS  spectrum,  or  lease  excess  capacity  to  commercial  operators  to  fund  alternative  educational  delivery  methods.  It’s  up  to  them  to  decide  what  makes  the  most 
 sense  to  serve  their  community. 
 Today’s  decision  is  yet  another  milestone  in  this  drive  to  expand  the  advanced  broadband  services  nationwide.  By  promoting  education,  competition,  innovation,  and 
 broadband  deployment  today’s  decision  helps  benefit  us  all. 
 Lastly,  I  would  like  to  express  my  sincere  gratitude  to  the  Wireless  Bureau  staff  who  worked  many  long  hours  to  resolve  the  difficult  issues  presented  in  this  proceeding.  I’d  also  like 
 to  thank  everyone  who  participated  in  this  proceeding,  my  esteemed  colleagues,  the  agency  Bureaus,  educators,  and  the  industry,  for  their  comments  and  insightful  proposals. 
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