Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly Before The Policy Forum at AT&T "The 3.5 GHz Future Innovation Showcase"

I am honored to participate in this Policy Forum showcasing the promise of 3.5 GHz and discussing the future of this centrally-located spectrum. My hope today is to give a bit of background on the band and the Commission’s work and provide an update on some outstanding issues. 

The economic benefits to our providers and manufacturers are too great to allow us to slip behind other countries. It is in America’s best interest to maintain its leadership in wireless technologies. That’s why the mid-band spectrum play will require the opportunity to offer 5G via the 3.5 GHz band. At the same time, additional mid-band spectrum will be needed. A key option I have advocated for is opening the 3.7 to 4.2 band for commercial wireless use.  As soon as possible, the Commission should take the necessary steps to determine the full extent of the use in this band and ensure that the information that we do have is correct. We also should release a [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] this summer to further refine our options.