*Pages 1--1 from Microsoft Word - 20028.doc* NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robin Pence (202) 418- 0505 JULY 23, 2002 STATEMENT BY FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL K. POWELL ON SPECTRUM ALLOCATION FOR 3G SERVICES I am pleased that 90 MHz of prime spectrum can be made available for advanced wireless services in the United States. This spectrum should provide wireless carriers with sufficient capacity to keep pace with consumer demand for new and innovative services. In the future, as events warrant, the Commission will consider making additional spectrum available for wireless services. I would like to laud the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) role in this successful interagency effort, as well as the hard working staff from the Federal Communications Commission, (FCC) the Department of Defense (DOD) and other agencies. Together with DOD, NTIA has been able to achieve significant and positive results – for government, for industry, and for American consumers Throughout the past year, an interagency working group with staff from the FCC, NTIA, DOD, and other executive branch agencies, has been working diligently to identify spectrum for advanced wireless services. The interagency effort examined existing federal operations in spectrum already earmarked for transfer to non- federal use – specifically, the 1710- 1755 MHz band. The terms of the transfer would have allowed certain federal operations – both military and non- military to continue indefinitely. Permissible, grandfathered operations at 16 military facilities would have particularly impeded the development of new nationwide services. The interagency working group developed a creative plan for relocating these operations to other bands and thus clearing the band for commercial use. . - FCC- 1