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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  04-  287 
 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 In  the  Matter  of  Amendment  of  Part  22  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  To  Benefit  the  Consumers  of  Air-Ground  Telecommunications  Services;  Biennial  Regulatory  Review—  Amendment  of  Parts  1,  22,  and 
 90  of  the  Commission’s  Rules,  WT  Docket  No.  03-  103 
 Amendment  of  Parts  1  and  22  of  the  Commission's  Rules  To  Adopt  Competitive  Bidding  Rules  for  Commercial  and  General  Aviation  Air-  Ground  Radiotelephone  Service,  WT  Docket  No.  05-  42 


 Application  of  Verizon  Airfone  Inc.  for  Renewal  of  800  MHz  Air-  Ground  Radiotelephone  License,  Call  Sign  KNKG804,  File  No.  0001716212 
 Report  and  Order  and  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  adopted  December  15,  2004. 
 The  world  of  wireless  telecommunications  has  seen  immense  technological  and  marketplace  developments  in  the  last  decade.  During  that  time,  however,  the  800  MHz  commercial  air-  ground  service 
 has  been  locked  in  a  narrowly  defined  technological  and  regulatory  box.  With  this  action  today,  we  take  important  steps  to  bring  this  service  up-  to-  date  as  both  a  technical  and  marketplace  matter.  We  adopt  an 
 innovative  new  licensing  approach  that  will  allow  the  marketplace  to  help  direct  the  most  highly  valued  use  of  the  commercial  air-  ground  spectrum.  We  grant  future  licensees  significant  flexibility  to  meet 
 consumer  demand  for  broadband  and  other  wireless  services  onboard  aircraft  while  providing  a  reasonable  transition  period  for  the  single  remaining  incumbent  system.  We  lift  the  archaic  technical 
 constraints  currently  imposed  on  the  800  MHz  service,  while  implementing  the  requirements  and  procedures  necessary  to  ensure  that  public  safety  and  other  operations  in  adjacent  bands  are  protected 
 from  harmful  interference.  We  thus  bring  the  800  MHz  commercial  air-  ground  service  into  the  21  st  century  and  lay  the  groundwork  for  its  continued  growth  and  expansion  as  well  as  its  participation  in  the 
 marketplace  of  air-  ground  services  provided  to  airplane  passengers  via  multiple  modes. 
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