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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  04-  288 
 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 


 Re:  Amendment  of  the  Commission’s  Rules  to  Facilitate  the  Use  of  Cellular  Telephones  and  other  Wireless  Devices  Aboard  Airborne  Aircraft,  WT  Docket  No.  04-  435,  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking 
 Today  we  live  in  an  increasingly  mobile  world  and  Americans  are  demanding  greater  access  to  wireless  services  and  applications.  This  Notice  of  Proposed  Rule  Making  (NPRM)  is  an  important  step  in 
 achieving  the  Commission’s  goal  of  fostering  the  development  of  technologies  that  will  increase  America’s  communications  options—  in  this  particular  case,  communications  between  wireless  handsets 
 airborne  and  on  the  ground—  while  ensuring  that  terrestrial  systems  are  not  subject  to  harmful  interference.  Our  actions  today  begin  a  process  that  I  expect  will  benefit  the  traveling  public  as  well  as 
 public  safety  personnel,  by  increasing  the  communications  options  for  those  aboard  airborne  aircraft.  Although  operation  of  wireless  devices  aboard  aircraft  remains  subject  to  Federal  Aviation 
 Administration  (FAA)  rules  and  policies  that  restrict  their  use  to  ensure  against  interference  to  onboard  communications  and  navigation  equipment,  the  adoption  of  this  NPRM  will  help  ensure  that  the 
 Commission’s  rules  do  not  unnecessarily  restrict  the  availability  of  airborne  wireless  services  should  the  FAA  and  aircraft  operators  permit  the  use  of  airborne  wireless  devices. 
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