Federal Communications Commission	FCC 22-80

STATEMENT OF
CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re:	Expanding Use of the 12.7-13.25 GHz Band for Mobile Broadband or Other Expanded 
Use, GN Docket No. 22-352, Notice of Inquiry and Order (Oct. 27, 2022)

	The United States has long been a global leader in spectrum policy.  When the going gets tough, we get creative.  You see it with the broadcast incentive auction five years ago.  If you roll back further, you see it when we became the first to use auctions to modernize the distribution of licensed airwaves.  You also see it in the way we pioneered the use of unlicensed spectrum—which supports the airwaves we know and use every day as Wi-Fi.

	So what comes next?  How do we build on this storied history?  I think the next chapter is going to require us to think anew.  We can embrace what has worked before, but we also need to get creative again.  Because the future will be different than the past.  The focus on phones will give way to connectivity that touches everything in the economy.  In fact, if we do this right, our phones will be the least interesting part of our wireless future.  Because we are on the cusp of new forms of connectivity that will boost productivity and make industrial processes safer in factories, shipyards, and warehouses.  We will see fresh competition in the delivery of household broadband, increasing the number of ways families get online.  Plus, using next generation wireless technology in the power, transportation, and manufacturing sectors could lead to emissions savings that could help put us on the course to reach future climate targets.

	It’s exciting.  And it’s going to require a reset in the way we think about the opportunities in our airwaves.  But tradition-bound Washington is not always quick to change.  I know, I’m the first woman to permanently lead the Federal Communications Commission in 87 years.

	So I am making up for lost time.  When I took the reins at the agency, we made a fast pivot to focus on mid-band airwaves.  This is the spectrum that has the mix of coverage and capacity that is essential for the widespread deployment of next generation 5G service.  So we quickly held an auction in the 3.45 GHz band and followed that up with an auction in the 2.5 GHz band and just yesterday I shared with my colleagues an order that would create new public safety 5G opportunities in the 4.9 GHz band.  

	I also made it a priority to improve the way we coordinate with our federal counterparts.  Here a reset was in order because our ability to be successful in our mission to connect everyone, everywhere is as much about finding partners as it is about finding spectrum.  The good news is that the FCC has great partners at the Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration.  So we memorialized that fact in a new Spectrum Coordination Initiative earlier this year.

	But here’s the thing.  Process alone is not progress.  We need to build what comes next.  Earlier this year, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I announced that we need to start planning now to identify spectrum in the 7-16 GHz range that can support 5G and beyond technologies.  I announced that we need to start now to harmonize these efforts across the world.  That’s how we will help ensure this next-generation effort can reach everyone, everywhere.

	Today we are moving that effort forward.  The inquiry before us explores how we can expand the use of 550 megahertz of mid-band spectrum between 12.7-13.25 GHz.  We seek information on the current uses in this band and whether it is suitable for mobile broadband or other expanded use.  We ask about new licensed opportunities as well as possible sharing approaches.  And we consider what steps we need to take to protect the investments made by existing users.  

This is the first step in unlocking a significant expanse of new mid-band spectrum.  But I also know we can’t pin our wireless future on any single band.  We need to keep up our efforts to find more airwaves to fuel the mid-band spectrum pipeline, following our recent successful auctions of the 3.45 and 2.5 GHz bands.  So on that front, I recently shared with NTIA a list of a handful of additional spectrum bands, including mid-band airwaves, that I am asking them to explore for repurposing for next-generation services, so that economic growth and United States leadership in wireless can continue.  

	There is a lot of work ahead.  But back to the here and now and a big thank you to the agency staff  responsible for today’s effort involving the 12.7-13.25 GHz band, including Chris Andes, Simon Banyai, Stephen Buenzow, Peter Daronco, Sue Gilgenbach, Matt Pearl, Jess Quinley, Blaise Scinto, Joel Taubenblatt, Jennifer Tomchin, and Brian Wondrack from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau; Bahman Badipour, Michael Ha, Matthew Miller, Nicholas Oros, Ron Repasi, and Hugh Van Tuyl from the Office of Engineering and Technology; Gregory Boren, Nese Guendelsberger, Dante Ibarra, Karl Kensinger, Jim Schlichting, Alan Thomas, and Merissa Velez from the International Bureau; Nick Copeland, Judith Dempsey, Evan Kwerel, Paul Lafontaine, Kate Matraves, Giulia McHenry, Michelle Schaefer, Donald Stockdale, and Aleks Yankelevich from the Office of Economics and Analytics; Doug Klein, Keith McCrickard, and Bill Richardson from the Office of General Counsel; Brendan Holland, Jeffrey Neumann, and Sima Nilsson from the Media Bureau; and John Evanoff, David Furth, and Tracy Simmons from the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.