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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  JONATHAN  S.  ADELSTEIN 
 Re:  Applications  of  Nextel  Communications,  Inc.  and  Sprint  Corporation  For  Consent  to  Transfer  of  Control  of  Licenses  and  Authorizations;  WT  Docket  No.  05-  63 
 While  I  am  somewhat  troubled  by  the  recent  trend  of  consolidation  among  mobile  wireless  carriers,  I  support  this  merger  because  it  is  critical  to  have  a  strong  independent  carrier 
 in  the  wireless  industry  to  rival  those  wireless  providers  that  are  predominantly  controlled  by  regional  bell  operating  companies.  Approving  this  merger  will  better  balance  the  competitive 
 landscape  by  granting  Sprint  Nextel  similar  scale  and  scope  to  the  nation’s  largest  nationwide  carriers. 


 Compared  to  the  original  cellular  providers,  Sprint  and  Nextel  are  relative  newcomers  to  the  mobile  wireless  industry,  and  they  have  taken  different  paths  to  achieve  their  recent  industry 
 success.  Sprint  aggressively  rolled  out  the  first  digital  Personal  Communications  Service  network,  while  Nextel  transformed  the  800  and  900  MHz  Specialized  Mobile  Radio  bands  with 
 its  own  service  offering,  including  a  well  known  push  to  talk  feature.  I  am  hopeful  that  this  merger  will  allow  the  companies  to  continue  to  develop  together  their  unique  product  offerings 
 and  services  and  build  on  their  respective  strengths  for  the  benefit  of  consumers.  We  want  to  see  innovation  like  this  succeed.  Indeed,  it  will  be  critical  for  telecommunications  competition  in  the 
 future. 
 In  this  vein,  I  am  very  pleased  that  the  companies  have  committed  to  specific  milestones  in  the  deployment  of  services  in  the  2.5  GHz  band.  I  initially  had  concerns  about  Sprint  Nextel 
 amassing  such  a  wide  swath  of  spectrum  in  this  band  without  providing  any  clear  plan  for  deployment.  I  raised  these  issues  with  the  companies,  and  have  been  encouraged  by  their 
 response.  They  met  my  concerns  head  on  by  providing  a  specific  schedule  of  implementation  milestones  that  will  ensure  wireless  broadband  services  will  be  deployed  to  at  least  30  million 
 Americans  across  a  number  of  markets,  both  large  and  small.  And,  just  as  important,  they  put  their  money  where  their  mouth  is  by  agreeing  to  be  subject  to  enforcement  action  in  the  event 
 Sprint  Nextel  fails  to  meet  these  commitments  for  reasons  of  circumstances  within  the  company’s  control. 


 This  truly  is  a  banner  commitment  for  the  wireless  broadband  industry.  It  is  said  that  a  rising  tide  lifts  all  boats,  and  I  believe  that  the  Sprint  Nextel  investment  will  help  all  providers  in 
 the  2.5  GHz  band.  This  level  of  effort  will  benefit  all  stakeholders  in  the  band,  particularly  Education  Broadband  Services  licensees  and  the  equipment  and  vendor  communities.  The 
 infusion  of  capital  into  this  market  should  significantly  stimulate  product  and  service  offerings  that  ultimately  will  benefit  both  the  commercial  and  educational  segments  of  the  2.5  GHz 
 industry. 
 Finally,  I  also  appreciate  the  company’s  efforts  to  address  my  concerns  about  the  financial  health  of  the  spin-  off  of  the  incumbent  local  telephone  operations.  In  a  recent  filing, 
 the  Chief  Executive  Officers  of  both  Sprint  and  Nextel  indicated  that  the  new  local  telephone  company  “will  receive  an  equitable  debt  and  asset  allocation  at  the  time  of  its  proposed  spin-  off 
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 so  that  the  company  will  be  a  financially  secure,  Fortune  500  company.”  This  positive  step  will  protect  Sprint's  wireline  employees  and  ensure  millions  of  primarily  rural  wireline  customers 
 continue  to  see  a  high  level  of  service  and  investment  in  advanced  services. 
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