STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL
Re: Amendment of Parts 1, 2, 22, 24, 27, 90 and 95 of the Commission’s Rules to Improve 
Wireless Coverage Through the Use of Signal Boosters, WT Docket No. 10-4
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 41 percent of children live in households served 
only by wireless phones.  One in three adults relies exclusively on wireless service at home.  When a call 
is made to the doctor, to the workplace, to a child’s school, and to 911—they trust that the call will go 
through.  And they generally do.  That is because carriers are working hard to improve the wireless 
customer experience and expand the edges of their network coverage.
The reach of those networks, however, is not yet ubiquitous and the experience is not always 
perfect.  How do we know?  The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project tells us that 
72 percent of cell phone owners experience dropped calls at least occasionally.  But we also know from 
our own experience.  I know, for instance, which parts of my home get only a single bar on my phone, 
and which parts enjoy multiple bars.  Getting a better signal is as simple as traversing from the kitchen to 
the living room.  I would hazard to guess that there are others here who have had the same experience.  
And we live in a metropolitan area where coverage is generally excellent.  Many rural consumers are not 
so lucky.
Those who live on the remote end of a network may lose their signal when they stroll indoors or 
drive to the edge of their farm.  But if they spend hundreds of dollars each year for wireless service they 
should get full value for their hard-earned money.  The best solution, by far, is encouraging carriers to 
continue to build out and upgrade their networks.  But that takes time and capital.  So if the question is 
what can be done right now, one answer is the Order on signal boosters that we adopt today.
Historically, signal boosters have helped consumers extend the coverage of networks inside 
buildings and to rural, underserved, and hard-to-serve areas.  Signal boosters also have helped first 
responders maintain connections in their vehicles.  Unfortunately, however, shoddy devices can create 
more problems than they solve by causing harmful interference disrupting service to nearby wireless 
customers and impeding the use of public safety networks.  This is not acceptable.
So today we put in place strict technical standards.  They are designed to create immediate 
opportunities for extending service through quality signal boosters while curbing use of those that cause 
network harm.  This means consumers who buy devices meeting our standards will be able to enjoy better 
wireless access without disrupting the service of their neighbors or the communications needs of first 
responders.  Wireless carriers will also benefit as boosters extend the reach of their networks and reduce 
the number of dropped calls due to weak signals.  
This outcome is the byproduct of the cooperative work of carriers and booster manufacturers.  We 
commend their efforts and thank them for their input.  As a result, the Commission has been able to 
establish a process that obviates the need for a license by rule regime.  But going forward this agency 
must monitor the system we put in place.  We should be on the lookout for further opportunities to 
streamline and improve this process, especially if unanticipated problems with approval or harmful 
interference occur.  
Today’s decision is a team effort.  So thank you to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, 
Office of Engineering and Technology, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and Enforcement 
Bureau for their work on this item.  I also want to thank the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
in anticipation of the work they will do as a result of this Order.