NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: March 21 , 2012 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506 Email: neil.grace@fcc.gov STATEMENT OF FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ON THE INCENTIVE AUCTION TASK FORCE “I’m very pleased to announce the formation of an Incentive Auction Task Force, and that Ruth Milkman has already begun to manage the Task Force and our implementation of incentive auctions on an interim basis. “Implementing incentive auction authority involves most of the Bureaus and Offices at the agency. The same was true of the work to develop the incentive auction concept as part of our National Broadband Plan, and to provide expert support to Congress as it worked to pass the legislation. “I’d like to acknowledge and thank the hard work and dedication of the FCC staff, present and former, who have worked on the incentive auction concept. And I’d like to thank – in advance – FCC staff who are working and will work on implementation. “Incentive auctions are a big idea. The concept, of course, which we developed in our National Broadband Plan, is to deploy market forces and a market-based mechanism to repurpose spectrum for flexible use, including mobile broadband. “But there’s no doubt that the task ahead will be complex and challenging. Incentive auctions are unprecedented. The legislation, at over 100 pages, raises many difficult issues. “I’m confident our staff is up to the challenge. What we’ll see is an implementation process that will be inclusive and participatory; that will be guided by the economics and the engineering; and that will seek to maximize the opportunity to unleash investment and innovation, benefit consumers, drive economic growth, and enhance our global competitiveness. When the incentive auction of the TV bands is complete, we expect to have a healthy broadcast sector, and a strong, robust, competitive, and world- leading mobile industry. “I couldn’t be more grateful to Ruth Milkman for taking on this task. “Ruth is well known and respected for her deep knowledge and experience, strong management skills, and fairmindedness. The Task Force represents the full range of talent and expertise at the agency, including Rick Kaplan and Bill Lake, the leaders of our Wireless Telecommunications and Media Bureaus; Julie Knapp, the head of our Office of Engineering and Technology, our Chief Economist Marius Schwartz and our Chief Technologist Henning Schulzrinne, our General Counsel Austin Schlick and others. Thanks to each of you and your terrific teams, thank you again Ruth, and we look forward to hearing more from the team as the work progresses.” -FCC-