STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR

Re: 	Auction of Priority Access Licenses for the 3550-3650 MHz Band; Comment Sought on Competitive Bidding Procedures for Auction 105; Bidding in Auction 105 Scheduled to Begin June 25, 2020, AU Docket No. 19-244

	 Yankees, Red Sox.  Cowboys, Redskins.  Democrats, Republicans.  Those who say “aye” when voting for FCC items and those who (correctly) say “approve.”  In this time of division, what can bring such bitter rivals together?  The answer is right in front of us: 3.5.

You see, last week, on the same stage appeared a cast of characters not often known for holding hands and singing kumbaya.  Verizon, AT&T.  Google, Charter.  A group that runs trains, and a group that flies planes.  Even the FCC, NTIA, and DOD.

They were celebrating the launch of OnGo, a private certification effort to commercialize the 3.5 GHz band.  It’s a sign that the private sector is ready to put this spectrum to use and has confidence in the band’s potential.  It’s also a milestone on this Commission’s road to freeing up more mid-band spectrum.  Commissioner O’Rielly deservedly was on stage to celebrate last week, and I want to join in the chorus that is rightly thanking him for his continued work on this effort.

5G services will rely on every spectrum band—low, mid, and high.  Low-band will provide the coverage needed to bring 5G to every corner of America.  Mid-band will provide mobility at fast speeds.  And high-band will provide the fiber-like connections needed to support a full range of 5G offerings.  All three bands are essential.  And so I am proud of this Commission’s all-of-the-above approach to spectrum, which we continue in this Public Notice.

I want to thank the Office of Economics and Analytics and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau for their work on this item.  It has my support.
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