FRED UPTON , M ICHI GAN 
CHAIRM AN 
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 
FRAN K PALLON E, JR ., NEW JER SEY 
RANKING MEM BER 
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j!}ouse of l\epresentattues 
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 
2125 R AYBURN H ousE O FFICE Bu1LD1N G 
W ASHINGTON, DC 20515- 6115 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, S.W. 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
M ajor ity (202) 225- 2927 
Mi nority (202) 225- 3641 
July 14, 2016 
U.S. leadership in the global mobile ecosystem has delivered tremendous innovation for 
American consumers and the U.S. economy. Today, 54 percent of all mobile subscribers in 
North America are on 4G LTE networks, compared to just 24 percent in Western Europe and 
Asia Pacific, and Americans more than doubled their mobile data usage from 2014 to 
2015. Mobile broadband is becoming increasingly integrated in everyday life and business - and 
the next generation of wireless, 5G, is a game-changing technology. We urge the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) to take action this summer so that the United States can 
maintain its global mobile leadership as the world moves to 5G. 
As an initial matter, we commend you for announcing that the FCC will take action in the 
Spectrum Frontiers proceeding this July. Other nations, including Japan and South Korea, are 
already committed to mining higher frequency bands like these as they vie to lead on 5G. In the 
U.S., these bands will pave the way for investment and innovation in both licensed and 
unlicensed offerings, providing consumers with much faster and more responsive broadband, and 
delivering connectivity to many more devices included in the developing Internet of Things 
market. 
The FCC should adopt Spectrum Frontier service rules that will enable rapid investment 
and innovation in these bands. Established rules of the road, for example, the licensing approach 
adopted in advance of the AWS-3 auction that garnered more than $40 billion in revenue, offer 
clarity with respect to licensed rights. At the same time, the FCC should make sure that existing 
services in these bands including satellites can continue to operate as they do today, and that 
there is a path for further deployment by incumbent operators. We also share the FCC's 
concerns with cybersecurity as new technologies develop, and urge the agency to continue to 
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Letter to The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
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work through bodies like the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council 
(CSRIC) and standards groups to ensure 50 development incorporates security-by-design 
principles. 
Finally, for 50 to be a success, the FCC must also take concrete steps toward more 
common-sense siting policies. 5G will involve more densified wireless networks, with smaller 
antennas that have a more limited physical presence and lesser impact. Siting policy should 
account for these small cell deployments. The FCC, therefore, should promptly complete its 
nationwide programmatic agreement proceeding to eliminate unnecessary review processes for 
collocating small wireless antennas. 
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to prompt action to advance the 
interests of 5G and U.S. consumers and business. 
Sincerely,