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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 
 Re:  FCC  Seeks  Public  Comment  on  Creation  of  a  Spectrum  Sharing  Innovation  Test-  Bed,  ET  Docket  No.  06-  89 
 I  firmly  support  encouraging  federal  and  non-  federal  users  to  develop  new  ways  to  share  spectrum.  Indeed,  I  have  great  faith  in  our  nation’s  engineers  and  inventors,  who  have 
 consistently  found  ways  to  extract  ever  greater  value  from  a  fixed  quantity  of  spectrum.  Given  this  admirable  record  of  innovation  –  awe-  inspiring  is  not  too  strong  a  word  –  I  believe  it  would 
 be  irresponsible  for  us  not  to  investigate  the  questions  we  raise  today. 
 I  do  have  some  concern,  however,  about  the  fact  that  we  are  initiating  this  process  two  years  after  the  Commerce  Department’s  recommendation.  1  I  hope  that  our  late  start  will  not 
 prevent  us  from  meeting  the  June  2008  recommended  deadline  for  delivering  a  report  outlining  the  results  of  this  program  and  suggesting  appropriate  expansions.  2 


 1  See  Spectrum  Policy  for  the  21  st  Century  –  The  President’s  Spectrum  Policy  Initiative:  Report  1 
 (Recommendation  11),  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  (2004),  available  at  http://  www.  ntia.  doc.  gov/  reports/  specpolini/  presspecpolini_  report1_  06242004.  htm. 


 2  Id. 
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