NTIA Press Release.
Re: FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding 3G wireless services.
Date: January 4, 2001.
Source: NTIA.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROHDE COMMENDS FCC ON RULEMAKING, STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF 3G INFORMATION

WASHINGTON -- Gregory L. Rohde, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said that today's release of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a major development in the Administration's plan to make sufficient spectrum available for 3rd generation wireless services.

"This NPRM marks the passage of another important step to advance broadband wireless services in the United States," Rohde said. "Because of the cooperation between government agencies such as the Commerce and Defense Departments with the FCC, the Administration is well on its way to meeting its goals to develop a spectrum plan for 3G and to continue its assessment on candidate bands for possible future allocation. Future progress will require active involvement of industry and consumers will be necessary to make this a successful effort."

Rohde urged industry and consumers to take part in the effort to advance the development of 3rd generation wireless services: "Comments on the NPRM will help us determine to what extent existing allocations can be used for advanced wireless services such as 3G; assess whether additional spectrum allocations will be necessary and if so, how to meet the needs of incumbent users that will be replaced."

Rohde reiterated that "the United States has to move aggressively to develop 3rd generation wireless if we want to be a first- class nation with respect to telecommunications and electronic commerce. I deeply hope that we will be able to meet our goal of issuing a final order by July 2001. The stakes are nothing less than our international competitiveness in electronic commerce and being a world leader in communications services."

For more details on NTIA and 3G policy, see the NTIA Web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/threeg/index.html.