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 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 RE:  In  the  Matter  of  Proposed  Changes  in  the  Commission's  Rules  Regarding  Human  Exposure  to  Radiofrequency  Electromagnetic  Fields 
 Today’s  action  takes  an  important  step  in  updating  our  radiofrequency  environmental  exposure  rules  to  reflect  technological  change.  Our  action  is  part  of  the 
 Commission’s  Environmental  and  Historic  Preservation  Action  Plan  that  I  announced  earlier  this  month.  The  goal  of  the  plan  is  to  improve  our  ability  to  fulfill  our  obligations 
 under  the  National  Environmental  Protection  Act,  while  at  the  same  time  accelerating  the  process  of  deploying  necessary  communications  infrastructure.  Integral  to  this  effort  is 
 ensuring  that  our  radiofrequency  exposure  limits  keep  pace  with  the  rapid  innovation  in  the  spectrum-  based  services  marketplace.  Our  current  rules  date  back  to  the  mid-  1990s. 
 Since  our  current  rules  were  adopted  in  the  mid-  1990s,  it  has  become  apparent  that  certain  provisions  may  warrant  further  revision  to  clarify  the  responsibilities  of  our 
 licensees  and  to  ensure  compliance  with  the  FCC  limits  in  a  more  practical,  reasonable  and  efficient  manner.  This  NPRM  makes  several  proposals  to  accomplish  that  goal. 
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