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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Revision  of  Parts  2  and  15  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  to  Permit  Unlicensed  National  Information  Infrastructure  (U-  NII)  devices  in  the  5  GHz  band,  ET  Docket  No.  03-  122  and  RM-10371, 
 Report  and  Order  (R&  O) 
 Wireless  broadband  is  increasingly  a  reality  in  the  marketplace.  As  demonstrated  by  our  recent  WISP  forum,  making  more  spectrum  available  for  this  important  application  will  foster 
 facilities  based  broadband  competition  and  significantly  advance  the  public  interest.  Moreover,  additional  unlicensed  spectrum  was  a  key  recommendation  of  the  Spectrum  Policy  Task  Force. 
 Today  we  deliver  on  the  promise. 
 The  adoption  of  the  Unlicensed  National  Information  Infrastructure  (U-  NII)  Report  and  Order  is  another  successful  step  towards  fostering  the  development  of  a  broad  range  of  new 
 devices  and  services.  By  amending  Parts  2  and  15  of  the  Commission’s  rules  we  make  an  additional  255  megahertz  of  spectrum  available  for  unlicensed  devices  in  the  5.470-  5.725  GHz 
 band.  This  proposal  is  consistent  with  the  U.  S.  proposals  for  the  2003  World  Radiocommunication  Conference  (WRC-  03)  and  with  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  ITU  at 
 WRC-  03.  This  action  will  harmonize  the  spectrum  available  for  U-  NII  devices  throughout  the  world. 


 Making  this  additional  spectrum  available  will  ensure  the  continued  deployment  of  unlicensed  wireless  broadband  networks  by  affording  U-  NII  devices  and  networks  greater 
 certainty  and  flexibility  to  avoid  interference  with  other  services  sharing  the  existing  band.  Further,  it  will  provide  significant  benefits  for  American  consumers  and  businesses  including, 
 improved  quality  of  service,  and  increased  competition  with  other  providers  of  internet  service. 
 I  would  also  like  to  thank  NTIA,  DOD,  other  government  agencies,  and  the  industry  for  helping  to  make  sharing  among  users  of  this  spectrum  possible.  Together,  we  worked  long  and 
 hard  to  forge  an  agreement  that  provides  the  opportunity  for  new  commercial  services  while  ensuring  protection  for  existing  Federal  government  operations.  I  hope  that  we  can  continue  to 
 build  upon  this  success. 
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