Sidecut Reports

Unlike his immediate predecessor, new FCC chairman Julius Genachowski actually appears to have interesting things to say when he speaks publicly. While some folks seem ready to ding Genachowski for giving non-answer answers sometimes, if you read through his prepared remarks from his speech at the CTIA show earlier this week in San Diego there’s some real meat and understanding, especially of the mobile Internet market and what issues it’s facing.

Some money quotes from Genachowski’s speech:

On 4G rollouts:

More and more I hear people say that broadband is the future of mobile, and I agree. I also believe the reverse is true — mobile is essential to the future of broadband.

And the next generation of mobile technology — 4G — will make all the difference. 4G will provide mobile connectivity several times faster than we have today. It will provide a mobile Internet experience comparable to today’s wireline networks — data rates measured in megabits per second instead of kilobits, latencies in mere milliseconds.

After years of buildup, we can see 4G on the horizon.

Clearwire has launched WiMAX in 14 markets. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and MetroPCS have each announced plans to launch LTE in the next year or two.

But of course it’s easier to roll-out a press release than roll-out a network. There is a lot of work to do, and I know it won’t be easy.

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