STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI
Re: Amendment of Part 101 of the Commission’s Rules to Facilitate the Use of Microwave for Wireless 
Backhaul and Other Uses and to Provide Additional Flexibility to Broadcast Auxiliary Service and 
Operational Fixed Microwave Licensees; Request for Interpretation of Section 101.141(a)(3) of the 
Commission’s Rules Filed by Alcatel-Lucent, Inc., et al.; Petition for Declaratory Ruling Filed by 
Wireless Strategies, Inc.; Request for Temporary Waiver  of Section 101.141(a)(3) of the Commission’s 
Rules Filed by Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition; WT Docket Nos. 10-153; 09-106; 07-121
Today we implement another important recommendation of the National Broadband Plan.  Some 
of the most important recommendations of the National Broadband Plan fall under the heading of 
spectrum.  Unleashing spectrum for mobile broadband is critical for investment, innovation and U.S. 
global competitiveness.  So I’m very pleased that the Plan’s recommendations in this area have received
broad support—including bipartisan legislation and the President’s recent Executive Memorandum on 
Spectrum.  
Today, we launch an effort to ensure that sufficient microwave spectrum is available to meet the 
current and future demands for wireless backhaul.  This item brings together three key themes of the 
National Broadband Plan: unleashing spectrum; removing outdated regulatory barriers; and seizing the 
opportunities of broadband for rural America.  
Microwave communications has become, in a growing number of situations, a viable option for 
backhaul of mobile broadband traffic.  As broadband providers accelerate deployment of next-generation 
networks, they will require backhaul that can carry what will be an exponential growth in mobile data 
traffic.  If that capacity is unduly restrained, it will hamper our ability to take full advantage of emerging 
communications technologies and undermine our ability to lead the world in mobile.
Today’s item takes a fresh look at our rules governing the use of certain microwave bands.  
Specifically, we propose increasing the flexibility, capacity, and cost-effectiveness of prime microwave 
bands, while protecting incumbent licensees in these bands. The increased flexibility proposed in the item 
will also make more frequencies available for fixed broadcast studio links.
Flexible rules can greatly increase our efficient use of microwave spectrum.  With spectrum 
sharing, we have the opportunity to make 750 MHz of microwave spectrum newly available for 
broadband backhaul or other advanced point-to-point uses.  Removing outdated regulatory barriers to 
keep pace with the rapid changes in technology will help reduce some of the costs of 4G deployment and 
increase investment in new 4G services that enhance economic growth and U.S. competitiveness.  
These changes in our microwave rules can have a particularly positive impact on rural America.  
Microwave backhaul may be the only practical solution available to reach 4G cell sites in very remote 
rural areas.  
This item recommends concrete steps to facilitate deployment of mobile services on which all 
Americans – regardless of geography – increasingly depend to communicate for work, with family, and 
for personal safety.
Thank you to the staff for taking a close look at the ways in which we can increase spectrum 
flexibility and improve spectrum efficiency.