Federal Communications Commission FCC 12-32 STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: Service Rules for Advanced Wireless Services in the 2000-2020 MHz and 2180-2200 MHz Bands, WT Docket No. 12-70; Fixed and Mobile Services in the Mobile Satellite Service Bands at 1525- 1559 MHz and 1626.5-1660.5 MHz, 1610-1626.5 MHz and 2483.5-2500 MHz, and 2000-2020 MHz and 2180-2200 MHz, ET Docket No. 10-142; Service Rules for Advanced Wireless Services in the 1915-1920 MHz, 1995-2000 MHz, 2020-2025 MHz and 2175-2180 MHz Bands, WT Docket No. 04-356. By adopting this Notice for Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry, the Commission makes substantial progress towards allocating up to 40 megahertz of spectrum for commercial mobile broadband services. I commend Rick Kaplan, John Leibovitz, and the staffs of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and International Bureau, for presenting an item with such a careful examination of the technical issues relevant to repurposing this satellite spectrum. The NPRM contains detailed rule proposals about the band plan, spectrum block size, and technical service requirements. Although this item will likely require review and input from the industry over the next few months, these detailed proposals should help the Commission move quicker towards adopting rules in this proceeding. This item asks several important questions about how to allocate the spectrum to promote competition, and facilitate entry by small businesses, in the mobile broadband services market. I am grateful to the other Offices for agreeing with my request to seek comment about how the Commission can ensure interoperability within the AWS-4 band. I am interested in hearing from the commenters if the small business bidding credits, proposed in the NPRM, are sufficient to facilitate new entities entering the mobile wireless service industry. I also encourage parties to tell me what service rules for this spectrum could have the greatest beneficial impact on rural service. Another important feature of the NPRM is the proposal to provide AWS-4 licensees with flexibility to provide any fixed or mobile service that is consistent with the allocations for this spectrum. I support giving licensees the dexterity to adjust to market conditions. This principle serves the public interest when licensees use this flexibility, in order to provide consumers with greater competition, more products and services, and lower prices. If we need to adopt additional rules to sufficiently foster competition, please let us know.