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 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  KEVIN  J.  MARTIN 
 Re:  Unlicensed  Operation  in  the  TV  Broadcast  Bands;  Additional  Spectrum  for  Unlicensed  Devices  Below  900  MHz  and  in  the  3  GHz  Band,  First  Report  and  Order  and  Further 
 Notice  of  Proposed  Rule  Making  (ET  Docket  Nos.  02-  380,  04-  186),  FCC  06-  156 


 Today,  we  take  the  next  step  in  making  unused  broadcast  spectrum  available  for  new  and  innovative  uses.  Allowing  low  power  wireless  devices  to  operate  in  unused  portions  of  the 
 television  bands  could  be  an  efficient  and  effective  use  of  this  unused  spectrum. 
 In  the  past,  I  have  expressed  that  our  first  priority  is  furthering  the  digital  transition  and  minimizing  the  burden  on  viewers.  Allowing  the  use  of  low  power  devices  immediately  could 
 impede  the  progress  of  the  DTV  transition.  The  TV  bands  have  been  generally  congested  during  the  transition  with  TV  stations  operating  on  two  channels  each  –  an  analog  and  a  digital  channel. 
 Moreover,  the  final  DTV  channel  selection  and  assignment  process  is  still  ongoing,  which  makes  it  more  difficult  to  assess  the  amount  of  white  space  that  might  ultimately  be  available.  Now  that 
 Congress  has  established  a  “hard  date”  for  the  DTV  transition,  however,  the  Commission  should  resolve  outstanding  technical  issues  so  that  low  power  devices  designed  to  operate  on  unused  TV 
 frequencies  may  be  placed  on  the  market  with  the  completion  of  the  DTV  transition. 
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