1STATEMENT OF 
CHAIRMAN TOM WHEELER
Re: Use of Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz for Mobile Radio Services, GN Docket No. 14-
177; Establishing a More Flexible Framework to Facilitate Satellite Operations in the 
27.5-28.35 GHz and 37.5-40 GHz Bands, IB Docket No. 15-256; Petition for Rulemaking 
of the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition to Create Service Rules for the 42-43.5 
GHz Band, RM-11664; Amendment of Parts 1, 22, 24, 27, 74, 80, 90, 95, and 101 to 
Establish Uniform License Renewal, Discontinuance of Operation, and Geographic 
Partitioning and Spectrum Disaggregation Rules and Policies for Certain Wireless Radio 
Services, WT Docket No. 10-112; Allocation and Designation of Spectrum for Fixed-
Satellite Services in the 37.5-38.5 GHz, 40.5-41.5 GHz and 48.2-50.2 GHz Frequency 
Bands; Allocation of Spectrum to Upgrade Fixed and Mobile Allocations in the 40.5-42.5 
GHz Frequency Band; Allocation of Spectrum in the 46.9-47.0 GHz Frequency Band for 
Wireless Services; and Allocation of Spectrum in the 37.0-38.0 GHz and 40.0-40.5 GHz 
for Government Operations, IB Docket No. 97-95.
On my first day as Chairman, I described the FCC as the nation’s “Optimism Agency.”
Today’s Spectrum Frontiers Order is exactly what I had in mind when I made that statement. 
Our broadband networks – wired and wireless – will define what our world is going to be 
like. From job creation, to education, to healthcare, to energy and on down the line, these 
networks will unleash new innovations, making the impossible possible. We have the incredible 
privilege of helping to shape that connected future. Today, we take the most significant steps yet 
to enable the next generation of wireless connectivity.
Fifth-generation, or 5G, connectivity will likely be more than an incremental 
evolutionary step forward in wireless technology. It promises quantum leaps forward in three key 
areas: speeds resembling fiber that are at least 10 times and maybe 100-times faster than today’s 
4G LTE networks; responsiveness less than one-thousandth of a second, which enables real-time 
communication; and network capacity multiples of what is available today.
Coupling this ultra-fast, low-latency, high-capacity connectivity with the almost 
unlimited processing power of the cloud will enable super fast wireless broadband, smart-city 
energy grids and water systems, immersive education and entertainment, and an unknowable 
number of innovations. In a 5G world, the Internet of Everything will be fully realized; 
everything that can be connected will be connected. Most important, 5G will enable killer 
applications yet to be imagined. 
We are already seeing industry gearing up to seize this opportunity. AT&T, Sprint, T-
Mobile and Verizon are all moving forward with plans to test and develop 5G technologies. For 
example, last month, Sprint demonstrated 5G connectivity offering speeds up to 4 Gbps at the 
Copa America soccer tournament in Philadelphia. Verizon recently announced the completion of 
its 5G radio specification, which provides guidelines to test and validate 5G technical 
components. These efforts will help inform the standards process by putting stakes in the ground. 
And the first commercial deployments at scale are expected in 2020.
2Without question, 5G is a national priority. The interconnected world of the future will be 
the result of decisions we make today. 
With today’s Order, we are repeating the proven formula that made the United States the 
world leader in 4G: one, make spectrum available quickly and in sufficient amounts; two, 
encourage and protect innovation-driving competition; and three, stay out of the way of market-
driven, private sector technological development.
Today’s Order will make the United States the first country in the world to identify and 
open up vast amounts of high frequency spectrum for 5G applications. The big game-changer is 
that we are using much higher-frequency bands than previously thought viable for flexible uses, 
including mobile.
The ability to use this high-frequency spectrum opens much bigger chunks of spectrum. 
Current blocks of licensed low-band spectrum are usually 5 to 10 megahertz in width. With 5G, 
however, we are looking at blocks of at least 200 megahertz in width. This will allow networks 
to carry much more traffic per user – gigabits of throughput instead of megabits. We’re talking 
about fiber-like capacity to wireless users. 
By opening up these higher-frequency bands, we are making available over four times the 
total amount of licensed spectrum currently available for mobile. And we’re not done. We’re 
asking questions about opening up a significant number of other bands.
We are not prognosticating about the technology that has to be deployed in these bands.  
We are setting flexible rules that will allow the market to best determine how the technology will 
evolve, without having to ask our permission.
The new high bands we are opening up will be woven with the existing mid and low 
bands into networks that will provide coverage and high capacity for consumers and businesses 
We aren’t going to say “this band is to be used for 3G, this band for 4G and this band is for 5G.”   
Our strength is in providing the flexibility to use all of the spectrum resources in the way that 
provides the best services.  
And it’s not just licensed spectrum; unlicensed will continue to play a critical role in 
future networks, as will shared spectrum.  Today’s Order will add to an existing unlicensed band 
to create a massive 14 gigahertz unlicensed band.  Consider that – 14,000 megahertz of 
unlicensed spectrum, with the same flexibility that has allowed unlicensed to become a breeding 
ground for innovation.  It also provides 600 megahertz within the 37 GHz band for shared access 
between commercial users and federal users.  This band can provide access to spectrum where 
and when it’s needed, and it will serve as a proving ground for policy and technical innovations 
to enable new forms of spectrum sharing between commercial and federal users.
Opening up spectrum and offering flexibility to operators and innovators is the most 
important thing we can do to enable the 5G revolution, but it’s not the only thing.
3We also needed to work out sharing issues between terrestrial and satellite operators. 
Sharing is essential for the future of spectrum utilization. Many of the high-frequency bands we 
are making available for 5G currently have some satellite users, or at least the possibility of 
future satellite users. Our rules strike a balance that offers flexibility for satellite users to expand, 
while providing terrestrial licensees with predictability about the areas in which satellite will 
locate. 
To live up to its potential, 5G networks must also be secure. Cybersecurity issues need to
be addressed during the design phase for the entire 5G ecosystem, including devices. For the 
FCC's part, our policy approach will emphasize that industry must develop and communicate 
cybersecurity standards. We anticipate that a continuous dialogue between the FCC, industry, 
and standards bodies will stimulate industry development of a security framework for 5G and the 
Internet of Things that will evolve to accommodate new functions and security threats.
If we’ve learned anything in the generational march through wireless connectivity, it is 
that we have always underestimated the innovation that would result from new generations of 
wireless networks. Thank you to all the Commission staff who worked to craft this item and 
shape this next chapter in our wireless future.