STATEMENT OF 
CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI

Re: 	Allocation and Service Rules for the 1675-1680 MHz Band, WT Docket No. 19-116

For four years under the prior Administration, the President’s budget proposed that the FCC take action to make spectrum in the 1675-1680 MHz band available for flexible use, subject to sharing arrangements with federal weather satellites.  But nothing happened.  It was all talk, no action.

Under this Administration, things have changed.  In 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began a study of spectrum sharing in the 1675-1680 MHz band.  And now, this Commission is proposing to make this band available for flexible use subject to sharing arrangements with federal weather satellites.  Our goal is to free up more spectrum for wireless broadband while also including safeguards to ensure that any new commercial operations don’t result in harmful interference to incumbent federal operators.  Of course, our consideration of how best to accomplish these objectives will be informed by the results of NOAA’s study.

Our action today is just another example of our aggressive, “all of the above” strategy to free up spectrum for commercial use.  In January, we finished an auction of spectrum in the 28 GHz band.  We are currently conducting an auction of the 24 GHz band.  We recently announced that, on December 10, we’ll be launching a single auction of 3,400 MHz of spectrum in the upper 37, 39, and 47 GHz bands, which will be the largest spectrum auction in American history.  We’ve also been working to repurpose mid-band spectrum for 5G: from rulemakings to free up spectrum in the 2.5 GHz, 3.7 GHz, 4.9 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, to our upcoming auction in the 3.5 GHz band, to ongoing work with our federal partners to share the 3.1 GHz, 3.45 GHz, and 5.9 GHz bands, in the past two years we have put over 2,500 megahertz of prime, mid-band spectrum on the table for high-speed wireless broadband.

All of these accomplishments on airwaves would not be possible without the labors of our talented staff.  And in particular, I would like to thank the following for their work on this item: Lloyd Coward, Anna Gentry, Joyce Jones, Charles Mathias, Roger Noel, Paul Powell, Becky Schwartz, Dana Shaffer, and Cecilia Sulhoff from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau; Nicholas Copeland, Catherine Matraves, Giulia McHenry, Gary Michaels, and Emily Talaga from the Office of Economics and Analytics; Paul Murray and Ronald Repasi from the Office of Engineering and Technology; Deborah Broderson, David Horowitz, and Bill Richardson from the Office of General Counsel; and Chana Wilkerson from the Office of Communications Business Opportunities.  I look forward to working with them and our federal counterparts in the months to come so that we can bring this rulemaking to a prompt resolution.