STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR

Re:	Review of the Commission’s Rules Governing the 896-901/935-940 MHz Band, WT Docket No. 17-200

	Nowhere on the spectrum chart is it more difficult to unlock value than in low-band.  Low-band’s distant propagation makes it inexpensive to deploy and so was a logical starting place for early generations of radio communications.  As a result, the low-band is home to many old incumbencies—some that continue to prove their value to Americans, and others that are held back by the FCC’s dated licensing regimes and archaic use cases.

	900 MHz provides service to vital industries including utilities and transportation.  Yet its narrow bands and overly prescriptive licensing have prevented the band from keeping up with technology.  This item brings the band into the modern era by creating a broadband channel contemplated for LTE.  This could dramatically lower costs and increase throughput for industries that form the bedrock of our economy.  

Some have said the Commission shouldn’t bother with 900 MHz, that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.  But consider the tech that licensees already are testing for the reconfigured band.  Railroads envision thermal imaging of tracks, which would allow them to detect and fix problems before a derailment.  Power companies plan real-time security, turning off electricity to a broken line before it hits the ground.  Customers with solar panels could sell their excess energy back to the power company, sending it to neighbors efficiently and with some extra money in their pockets.

	  It’s true that the band is small, but with these reforms, we can make it mighty.  I thank WTB, OEA, and the rest of the Commission staff for their work on the item.  It has my support.