March 9, 2000 Press Statement of Chairman William E. Kennard on Adoption of Rules For Upcoming Guard Band Manager Auction Today the FCC took important steps to protect the public in times of emergency. The rules we have adopted will ensure that vital police, firefighter and other emergency operations will not be threatened by harmful interference from new commercial spectrum users. We also created a new type of licensee to bid on this spectrum - Guard Band Managers. Guard Band Managers will be in the business of leasing their spectrum to other companies in ways that best suit their individual business needs. This is an innovative and efficient approach to licensing, and expands upon previous work done by the Commission to advance its spectrum management policies. - FCC -