STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI Re: Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions, GN Docket No. 12-268; Office of Engineering and Technology Releases and Seeks Comment on Updated OET-69 Software, ET Docket No. 13-26; Office of Engineering and Technology Seeks to Supplement the Incentive Auction Proceeding Record Regarding Potential Interference Between Broadcast Television and Wireless Services, ET Docket No. 14-14. During the course of this proceeding, I have urged the Commission to implement the incentive auction in a manner that is fair to all stakeholders and to respect the laws of physics. 1 In my view, the portions of today’s item designed to avoid inter-service interference between wireless services and broadcast television stay true to these principles. I commend the staff for their hard work on these highly technical issues. With respect to the issue of aggregate interference, I came to this item inclined to support some type of cap. But for two reasons, I’ve concluded that the Commission’s decision not to impose a cap is the correct one. First, as detailed in this item, 2 our staff’s analysis demonstrates that few stations are likely to receive aggregate new interference above one percent as a result of the repack. And second, given the auction-design decisions made by the Commission in May, an aggregate cap would substantially complicate and slow down the reverse auction. To be sure, I did not agree with many of the decisions made back in May. But as Idina Menzel reminds us in the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go,” “the past is in the past!” Finally, in recent days, broadcasters have argued that as a result of channel changes, some stations could see the population they serve reduced by 6 to 10 percent following the repack. This is an important concern. However, today’s item addresses whether there should be a cap on population loss caused by interference, not channel changes. I hope we will address that concern in a future item, but in any event will vote to approve this one. 1 See, e.g., Opening Remarks of Commissioner Ajit Pai at CTIA 2013’s Panel on the Spectrum Incentive Auctions: Step Right Up!, Las Vegas, Nevada (May 22, 2013), http://go.usa.gov/fBfC. 2 See Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at para. 5.