STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR Re: Use of the 5.850-5.925 GHz Band, ET Docket No. 19-138. If there’s one thing my FCC colleagues and I all agree on, it’s the importance of mid-band spectrum. In our speeches and testimony, in our statements and tweets, we have all made it clear that freeing up additional mid-band spectrum is critical to America’s leadership in wireless. Now, talking about mid-band spectrum is a far easier task than actually freeing up this scarce resource. And that is why I want to give credit to Chairman Pai, his team, and the Bureaus and Offices involved for their efforts over the past few years. If you look at the trade press headlines over that period of time, I will admit that they have not all been glowing. These are tough fights; a lot of people view this as a zero sum game. Incumbent stakeholders—whether federal or commercial—have pushed back on a lot of our mid-band efforts. All of that is evidence, I think, that this FCC has not just kicked the can down the road. We have not left it to future Commissions to take on the tough spectrum fights. And our approach to mid-band spectrum has delivered results. At 2.5 GHz, we updated the rules for EBS spectrum that laid fallow for too long. In that same band, we secured nationwide buildout commitments. At 3.5 GHz, we ensured that our rules would work in the real world and completed a successful auction earlier this year. At 3.7 to 4.2 GHz (the C Band), we secured about 300 MHz of mid-band spectrum to enable providers to offer truly mobile 5G. At 6 GHz, we opened up an immense 1,200 MHz of spectrum. Down at 1.6 GHz, we took long overdue action to free up that band. And at 2 GHz (AWS-4), we obtained a commitment to put that spectrum to use for high-speed broadband. That brings us to the spectrum band before us today—5.9 GHz. Our decision here marks another significant mid-band win. As with all of the other bands, there have been thorny issues to contend with and disagreements to work through. And in the past there’s been a fair amount of kicking the can down the road. That ends today. Our action will deliver 45 MHz of spectrum, creating a contiguous block of 160 MHz when combined with the band below, that can be put to use immediately for the benefit of all Americans. Opening this spectrum up won’t just mean faster Wi-Fi for consumers. It will help power all of the advanced applications that 5G promises. That might include wearable devices to improve your health, as we’ve seen during this pandemic. Or devices for virtual and even augmented reality to make everyday life a little easier. Or even machine-to-machine connectivity to make America even more competitive on the world stage. I want to thank the Chairman and his team for prioritizing the FCC’s work on mid-band spectrum over the past few years. I’d also like to thank the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau for their work. I’m glad to cast another vote for more mid-band spectrum.