FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN May 24, 2019 The Honorable Michael McCaul U.S. House of Representatives 2001 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman McCaul: Thank you for your letter concerning the FCC s work to  make spectrum available for commercial use, especially for next generation 5G mobile broadband, in the 900 MHz band. Over 30 years ago, this band was designated for narrowband communications like two-way dispatch radios used by business, industrial, and land transportation licensees. Under my leadership, the FCC has proposed to make a segment of the 900 MHz band available for broadband, which will improve the user experience. The Commission has also proposed to authorize a market-driven, voluntary exchange process that would allow existing licensees to agree on a plan for relocating incumbents and transitioning the band smoothing out, in an economically and technically sound way, the transition from point A to point B. I welcome your support for our efforts, and I (like you) look forward to completion ofreconfiguration of this band. I also agree with you that we must minimize any harmful interference that new operations in this band would cause to incumbents like the Lower Colorado River Authority. Mission- critical public-safety communications must be protected. Our staff at the FCC are hard at work to mitigate any disruptions that a reconfiguration of this band may cause, and I am confident that we can move forward in a manner that protects incumbents while maximizing the use of this spectrum for the American public. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. ~ Sincerely, Ajit V. Pai FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN May 24, 2019 The Honorable Ted Cruz United States Senate 404 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Cruz: Thank you for your letter concerning the FCC s work to  make spectrum available for commercial use, especially for next generation 5G mobile broadband, in the 900 MHz band. Over 30 years ago, this band was designated for narrowband communications like two-way dispatch radios used by business, industrial, and land transportation licensees. Under my leadership, the FCC has proposed to make a segment of the 900 MHz band available for broadband, which will improve the user experience. The Commission has also proposed to authorize a market-driven, voluntary exchange process that would allow existing licensees to agree on a plan for relocating incumbents and transitioning the band smoothing out, in an economically and technically sound way, the transition from point A to point B. I welcome your support for our efforts, and I (like you) look forward to completion of reconfiguration of this band. I also agree with you that we must minimize any harmful interference that new operations in this band would cause to incumbents like the Lower Colorado River Authority. Mission- critical public-safety communications must be protected. Our staff at the FCC are hard at work to mitigate any disruptions that a reconfiguration of this band may cause, and I am confident that we can move forward in a manner that protects incumbents while maximizing the use of this spectrum for the American public. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, (j AjitV.Pai