STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
Re: Applications of Sprint Nextel Corporation and Clearwire Corporation, WT Docket No. 
08-94; Applications of Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and Atlantis Holdings 
LLC, WT Docket No. 08-95; Applications of Union Telephone Company, Cellco 
Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless for 700 MHz Band Licenses, Auction No. 73
Broadband and the advanced applications that it enables have become increasingly 
critical drivers of both economic and social development.  With these three items, we take 
significant steps to advance the roll out of wireless broadband Internet access to consumers 
across the country, and promote long term investment in broadband infrastructure that will 
support increased innovation, expanded services and economic growth in the future.  These items 
also advance networks that are more open to devices and applications, as we implement the open 
platform requirements of the 700 MHz C Block and approve a transaction that will advance the 
promises of New Clearwire to allow applications and devices of the consumers’ choice on these 
networks.    Taken together with our action today approving the use of the television “white 
spaces” for unlicensed wireless use, the future of wireless broadband is indeed bright.
These transactions will provide significant benefits to wireless consumers. Specifically 
Verizon will now be able to fill in holes in its coverage area and provide a more robust national 
wireless service to its customers. Notably, Verizon is required to divest overlapping areas, 
numbering more than 100. 
With respect to roaming, the commitment proposed by Verizon Wireless to extend its 
roaming obligations provides added certainty to small and rural carriers.  In addition, Verizon 
Wireless has made additional commitments with respect to continuing the Alltel GSM network 
and allowing carriers to choose which roaming agreement to continue.  This should all help 
smaller, rural and regional carriers providing roaming to their consumers.  
Consumers are also beneficiaries of a new entrant into the wireless market, Clearwire. 
This provider will enhance competition and solidify wireless as an additional broadband 
platform.  Moreover, Clearwire committed to embrace more open networks, one open to all 
applications and devices.  This approach will spur innovation and give greater choice and 
improved services to consumers.    
I am also very pleased with the voluntary commitments made by Sprint Nextel and 
Verizon Wireless with respect to the Universal Service Fund and E911 location accuracy.  With 
respect to E911, these companies have taken a leadership role in the industry and are following 
through on their promises to meet E911 location accuracy obligations at the county-level.  This is 
an issue that is critical to consumers and first responders, and an issue that has been a priority to 
me as Chairman.  This commitment will allow first responders to reach those in need more 
quickly, and find callers more consistently.  This is clearly in the public interest.  
With respect to USF, the phase-out of high-cost competitive ETC funding to these 
carriers will provide significant benefits to the fund, while also providing certainty to the 
carriers.  High-cost support for competitive ETCs has grown rapidly over the last several years, 
placing extraordinary pressure on the federal USF.  In 2001, high-cost universal service support 
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totaled approximately $2.6 billion.  By 2007, the amount of high-cost support had grown to 
approximately $4.3 billion per year.  In recent years, this growth has been due mostly to 
increased support provided to competitive ETCs, which receive high-cost support based not on 
their own costs, but on the per-line support of the incumbent LECs.  Competitive ETC support, 
since 2001, has grown from under $17 million to over $1.18 billion—an annual growth rate of 
over 100 percent.   The offers made by the carriers here provide certainty for the carriers, while 
reducing the pressure on the fund over time.
Finally, I note that the industry has made considerable progress with respect to the issue 
of openness of devices and applications. With the issuance of Verizon Wireless’s 700 MHz 
licenses the open platform obligations we imposed on the C Block become a step closer to 
implementation.  The availability of third party handsets with the capability of downloading the 
applications of the user’s choice will provide substantial opportunities and competitive pressure 
to ensure that the benefits of open platforms are realized.  Moreover, coupled with the 
considerable openness plans that New Clearwire intends to include as it rolls out its new network 
and our action today on making available the white spaces, there is a ripe field for wireless 
innovation and growth.