STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re:	Amendment of Parts 2 and 25 of the Commission’s Rules to Facilitate the Use of Earth 
Stations in Motion Communicating with Geostationary Orbit Space Stations in Frequency Bands Allocated to the Fixed Satellite Service, IB Docket No. 17-95

There’s no denying the dramatic way that mobile broadband has changed the world.  It’s a part of how we live, work, learn, and play.  Yet we are still in the early stages of our always-on, always-connected future.

That means the true potential for mobile broadband is not fully realized.  So today, we take action to start to change that.  We make it possible for some of the most modern satellite technologies to expand the reach of our networks to some of the most challenging environments—our planes, ships, and vehicles.  We do this by facilitating the operation of Earth Stations in Motion with Fixed-Satellite Service geostationary-orbit satellites in the Ka-band and by simplifying our rules to facilitate investment and reduce the regulatory burden.  A fresh look at our rules is warranted because new capabilities have allowed the development of more spectrally efficient, ultra-small terminals that can provide broadband communications to support voice, video, and high-speed data.  That means these satellite systems can support a whole new range of global connectivity for more efficient and effective transportation systems.  This is exciting—and I support today’s action.