Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly
Before CITEL PCC.II Delegation
Orlando, Florida
June 26, 2017
Thank you for the kind introduction Mr. DeLeon.   I am honored to be with you today and, on behalf of 
the U.S. Delegation to CITEL, I want to extend our welcome to the CITEL administrations and associate 
members.  I would also like to thank those supporting this conference, including the U.S. Department of 
State and the U.S. telecommunications industry present here.
I was fortunate to have attended WRC-15 in Geneva. While I have always fully appreciated the 
importance of spectrum harmonization, it provided an opportunity to observe firsthand how difficult it 
can be to arrive at consensus decisions when it comes to spectrum.   That experience motivated me to 
become more engaged and active in the WRC-19 preparation process at the earliest opportunity.  We 
are approximately two years away from the start of WRC-19. As with WRC-15, the United States is 
excited to work with our regional partners in CITEL to contribute Inter American Proposals to the next 
WRC, which will represent the Region’s key priorities.  These proposals will provide our 
telecommunications industries the opportunity to innovate, obtain investment and ensure continued 
growth for years to come. They will also reflect the interests of our citizens, especially those who are 
unserved and in need of modern and robust connectivity in order to participate in the new digital 
economy. As we've seen at the last few conferences, CITEL’s Inter-American Proposals have played an 
essential role in determining the successful outcome of many past WRC agenda items.
In addition to the global WRC issues, our work here at CITEL PCC.II will promote harmonization, efficient 
use of spectrum, and foster the development of new technologies and services within the Region.   To 
this end, I am encouraged by the number of representatives from the region and by the active 
participation of the private sector associate members. We are very fortunate to see such a wide variety 
of spectrum users, sometimes in competing industries, coming together to solve problems and share 
experiences on the best way to efficiently use limited spectrum resources.
As you may have heard, within the United States we've been working actively to build upon 
the experience of WRC-15 and towards the decisions to be made at WRC-19. We've recently completed 
the world's first voluntary incentive auction, making the 600 MHz frequency band available for mobile 
broadband use, while still ensuring a vibrant broadcasting community. Together with our neighbors in 
Canada and Mexico, we have worked to facilitate the success of both the TV and wireless bands and 
ensured a seamless transition at our shared borders. We applaud the leadership of our counterparts in 
Mexico and Canada at the ITU and encourage other administrations to consider 600 MHz as they seek
additional spectrum for wide-area mobile broadband deployments.
In the mid-range bands, we have opened up 150 MHz of spectrum previously unavailable for 
commercial use in 3.5 GHz. Importantly, this spectrum will be made available through a dynamic 
Spectrum Access System that will enable sharing with U.S. government incumbent users.
In the upper bands, we expedited our Spectrum Frontiers proceeding to provide nearly 11 GHz of 
spectrum for mobile use in frequencies above 24 GHz. We are also currently considering whether to 
allocate even more spectrum in the millimeter wave bands for 5G and other uses.  
2And, as the demand for mobile broadband is projected to grow exponentially, the United States will 
continue to identify and examine additional spectrum in low, mid and high bands to meet the needs of 
our citizens and industries. 
As the regulator of all private sector spectrum, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has also 
been very active on space satellite and TV broadcast services.
Just last week, the FCC granted a request for a proposed next generation non-geostationary satellite 
orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite system to access the U.S. market. These large satellite constellations hold 
the promise of ubiquitous deployment, offering citizens of rural and remote communities the 
opportunity and benefits of connectivity.  Additionally, geostationary-satellite orbit (GSO)-provided 
broadband services to consumers continue to grow, with more than 2 million households currently 
served in the U.S. alone.  In addition, over the past year, we have approved several next-generation 
high-throughput GSO satellites.  These satellites have now been launched, and should significantly 
increase available satellite broadband capacity and speeds.  And in May of this year, the FCC also started 
a proceeding to harmonize and streamline our rules for the growing satellite market for Earth Stations in 
Motion, where we also eliminated unnecessary application requirements, reporting requirements, and 
operating restrictions.
In the broadcast services, the FCC is currently considering new rules for the next generation of television 
using the ATSC 3.0 television standard on a voluntary, market-driven basis.
These domestic priorities and decisions are reflected in our U.S. priorities for WRC-19, including Agenda 
Items 1.13 and 1.6 seeking additional spectrum for mobile broadband and NGSO constellations, Agenda 
Item 1.16 considering increased Wi-Fi or RLAN allocations, and Agenda Item 1.5 looking at Earth Stations 
in Motion. 
Also, as spectrum becomes more heavily utilized and shared between services, we need appropriate 
sharing mechanisms to protect users from harmful interference and provide a stable regulatory 
environment for those investing and deploying infrastructure in these bands. To this end, I call upon all 
of us in this room to openly participate in spectrum sharing studies in the ITU-R working parties related 
to WRC-19 agenda items.  In doing so, I want to be clear that the FCC will act in good-faith to ensure 
such studies are conducted in a fair and balanced manner.  We ask that you approach this process with 
an open mind, as will we.   
I believe the past WRC practice of promoting consensus through the regional organizations will continue 
to be the prevalent means of negotiation at WRC-19.  CITEL has always been a driving force in 
formulating Conference consensus decisions, overcoming resistance from other regions and 
administrations.  Therefore, it will be crucial for CITEL PCC.II to continue to strive towards early 
consensus on the region’s WRC proposal work so that it can set the international regulatory 
environment for the next WRC, as well as being at the forefront of technological innovation. 
As a representative of the host nation, I appreciate the opportunity to welcome you to Orlando and 
thank you for you taking the time to listen to me.  Over the next day and a half, I am interested to learn
about your priorities for WRC-19, along with any other regional spectrum initiatives.