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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KEVIN  J  .  MARTIN 
 Re:  Report  and  Order  in  the  Matter  of  Service  Rules  for  Advanced  Wireless  Services  in  the  1.  7  and  2.1  GHz  Bands 
 I  am  pleased  to  support  this  item,  which  adopts  service  rules  for  advanced  wireless  services  in  the  1.7  GHz  and  2.1  GHz  bands.  The  flexible  rules  we  adopt  allow  the  two  45  MHz 
 blocks  of  contiguous  spectrum  at  issue  to  be  used  for  a  range  of  advanced  wireless  services.  The  wireless  industry  is  already  on  the  forefront  in  offering  innovative  new  services,  and  it  continues 
 to  make  advances  that  will  bring  exciting  new  applications  to  consumers.  For  example,  since  we  issued  the  notice  of  proposed  rulemaking  in  this  proceeding,  camera  phones,  which  send  digital 
 pictures  to  other  phones  or  computers  at  the  touch  of  a  button,  have  become  widely  available.  There  are  also  phones  that  play  MP3s,  run  video  games,  and  connect  to  the  Internet  with  ease. 
 Better  and  faster  services  are  becoming  available  every  day. 
 A  crucial  ingredient  to  these  services,  however,  is  sufficient  spectrum.  This  Order  provides  some  of  that  spectrum,  allowing  a  significant  amount  of  spectrum  to  be  used  for  services 
 such  as  expanded  voice,  data,  and  broadband  applications  provided  over  high-  speed  fixed  and  mobile  networks  –  applications  often  called  “third  generation”  or  “3G.”  This  item  should  thus 
 lead  to  substantial  consumer  benefits,  as  new  and  better  quality  services  develop  in  the  1.7  GHz  and  2.1  GHz  bands. 


 I  would  like  to  once  again  commend  all  of  the  different  parts  of  government  for  working  together  to  make  this  happen.  In  particular,  the  National  Telecommunications  and  Information 
 Administration  deserves  praise  for  spearheading  this  effort.  NTIA,  working  with  the  Department  of  Defense,  the  State  Department,  the  Office  of  Management  and  Budget,  and  the  FCC’s  staff, 
 developed  the  blueprint  for  making  this  spectrum  available.  They  accomplished  a  major  step  in  ensuring  that  new  and  innovative  wireless  services  will  be  available  to  American  consumers. 
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