STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
Re: Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Provide Spectrum for the Operation of 
Medical Body Area Network, First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, 
ET Docket No. 08-59
I am happy to finally be able to vote to approve procedures for a new and innovative 
service:  Medical Body Area Networks (MBANs).  I remain as enthusiastic about the promise of 
this new technology as I was when first learning of it back in early 2007.  Since then, I have made 
advancement of this proceeding an important priority.  Although the government has taken far too 
long to get to this point, I am delighted that we are finally here.  The FCC’s action today will 
allow technologists to help medical patients in many profound and dramatic ways.  At the same 
time, we are ensuring that these cutting-edge wireless technologies do not cause harmful 
interference with flight test operations.  I thank Chairman Genachowski for bringing this order for 
a vote today.  
Specifically, liberating innovators to allow them to create new wireless medical devices 
will end reliance on physically attached cables so patients can move sooner during the healing 
process.  Furthermore, eliminating the need for potentially hazardous wires will increase patient 
safety.  I suspect that new MBANs applications will result in lower health costs by leveraging 
commercial equipment designed for the 2.3 GHz Band already available in the marketplace.  As a 
result, I am hopeful that all hospitals – whether large or small, urban or rural, for-profit or non-
profit – will be able to take advantage of this service, to improve their patient care and lower their 
costs therefore benefitting consumers of medical services.            
Thank you, Julie Knapp, and your exceptional group in the Office of Engineering and 
Technology.  This has been a challenging task spanning many years.  Your fortitude, patience, 
persistence, thoroughness and diligence have brought us to this day.  Congratulations.  I also 
thank all of the parties involved – for developing this exciting proposal forward and for joining 
together to work through the difficult technical issues.