STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Bands, ET Docket No. 04-186; Additional Spectrum for Unlicensed Devices Below 900 MHz and in the 3 GHz Band, Second Memorandum Opinion and Order, ET Docket No. 02-380 Today, I join the chorus of support that every Commissioner, who has voted during the history of this proceeding, has expressed for permitting the development of unlicensed services in the TV White Spaces. The National Broadband Plan, and the 14th Mobile Services Report, made it clear that licensed communications companies, find it difficult to develop a profitable business plan, to serve the communications needs of many sparsely populated rural areas. As pilot programs in Claudville, Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina demonstrate, when unlicensed services are allowed to take advantage of the enhanced propagation characteristics of the TV spectrum, these services can successfully bring affordable wireless broadband services, to both sparsely populated rural areas and low-income communities in urban areas. I am excited to see that companies such as Dell, Google, Microsoft, Motorola, and Nokia, have expressed such optimism about developing products and services for the TV White Spaces. I was pleased to see that we revisited the Commission’s decision, from 2008, to prohibit the operation of TV White Space devices in geographic areas near the borders of Canada and Mexico. Many tribal communities are located near these borders, in rural areas, that are the most difficult for commercial wireless firms to serve. Consequently, these tribal communities are among those that stand to benefit the most from the wireless broadband services that the TV White Space device manufacturers plan to deliver. As the 2008 Order pointed out, we should be concerned about Canadian and Mexican licensed operations. But, as the Tribal Digital Village persuasively demonstrated, the straightforward solution, which is consistent with the rules we adopt today, is to include information on the Canadian and Mexican stations in the TV White Space database as protected services. As you know, there were a number of contentious issues in this proceeding. Julie Knapp, and the talented staff in the Office of Engineering and Technology, took a thoughtful and measured approach to strike the proper balance, between the interests of the TV White Space advocates, public safety agencies, and wireless microphone users. I am confident that this agency will continue to take approaches that promote the development of TV White Space devices and services.